Reporters shouted questions at Prime Minister Stephen Harper after his brief statement to the Conservative caucus on Tuesday morning. The prime minister spoke about his government's record on limiting MP spending, and making Ottawa more accountable.
The allegations facing Senator Mike Duffy, and former PMO chief of staff Nigel Wright were not mentioned in the speech. The PM was not scheduled to take questions but reporters defied event organizers and shouted questions at Harper. The Tory caucus continued their applause and tried to drown out journalists' questions. The journalists were soon ushered out of the room by PMO staff.
The Conservative government has been taking fire over a series of scandals involving Senate expenses. Last week, it was revealed that Wright wrote a personal $90,000 cheque to embattled Senator Mike Duffy. On Sunday, Wright resigned from his position. Duffy and Wallin resigned from the Tory caucus earlier in the week. A third senator, Patrick Brazeau, was removed from caucus earlier this year.
The NDP is calling for an RCMP investigation into Wright's cheque to Duffy.
Ottawa reporters and political watchers responded angrily on Twitter to Harper's speech. See some of the best tweets below: