Long-running scandal may be final nail in Conservatives' coffin in Canada
When Mike Duffy ended his career as a television journalist to become a Canadian senator in 2008, he probably didn’t expect his name to be lent to one of the craziest political scandals in Canadian history. The scandal, currently dogging the Conservative party in the middle of the country’s federal election, may not include the worst things a politician has ever done while in office, but after a length of time in the public eye (2012 onward) and number of twists and turns, the Duffy affair can claim a place in the pantheon of great political scandals.
Canadians are heading to the polls in a little over a month for a complicated federal election, with three parties all within single-digits of each other nationally. The progressive New Democratic Party has been holding a small but consistent lead in the polls, with both the center-left Liberals and incumbent right-wing Conservatives only a few points behind. As the Conservatives in Canada are trying to hang on to power, this long-running scandal has repeatedly made headlines during the campaign, putting Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the defensive.