The Duffy Trial Is a Reminder to Change Parliament's Culture of Blame | HuffPost

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As the Mike Duffy trial begins, there is plenty of blame to go around. Who is to blame -- the Senate and its lack of rules, the Prime Minister, staff or any of the other players in the allegations of fraud and misuse of funds? Surely Mike Duffy played no part whatsoever in this mess. He is just the "victim." After all, what accountability can those using public money have to Canadians to manage it well? In the U.S. we see Republicans blaming the president even when they block his initiatives. Not uncommon occurrences.

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Founding Executive Director, Carleton University Centre for Women in Politics and Public Leadership

Founding Executive Director, Carleton University Centre for Women in Politics and Public Leadership

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Every time I look at the news, I wonder which leader or politician will be trying to duck his or her accountability or blame someone else. Recently it was the Minister of Defence, blaming the department of National Defence for not providing him the correct advice about which other members of the coalition were using "smart" bombs against ISIL.

As the Mike Duffy trial begins, there is plenty of blame to go around. Who is to blame -- the Senate and its lack of rules, the Prime Minister, staff or any of the other players in the allegations of fraud and misuse of funds? Surely Mike Duffy played no part whatsoever in this mess. He is just the "victim." After all, what accountability can those using public money have to Canadians to manage it well? In the U.S. we see Republicans blaming the president even when they block his initiatives. Not uncommon occurrences.

Awhile ago I was speaking with an MP about one of his party's Senate appointments. Instead of acknowledging that the appointment of the individual in question was a mistake, he told me that the person who did the background check will never get another promotion.

What is much less frequent is leaders who will stand up and be accountable. The doctrine of ministerial accountability, embedded deeply in our parliamentary history, seems to be forgotten in many instances as ministers blame their officials for mistakes. Under the doctrine ministers are accountable to Parliament and the Prime Minister, not only for their actions but those of the officials in their department. By failing to accept their accountability, these ministers are basically saying they do not have the power to deal with the mistake or improper action, thus in effect reducing their own powers. While the doctrine does not apply directly to CEO's and Presidents of enterprises, we have the same expectations of these leaders.

Why do we have such a culture of blame? Is it the media's fault because it reports even little mistakes as if they are earth shattering? Certainly mistakes that are of little relevance can be screamed in headlines that can lead us to believe they really are serious. Is media exposure an excuse for a leader or politician to duck responsibility because the media limelight might hurt their careers or political chances? Often lawyers advise clients not to apologize because it may result in legal liability. Yet the opposite happens in many instances where a lack of apology creates anger, loss of confidence and a desire to take legal action.

Have ministers forgotten or never appreciated their accountabilities when they were sworn in? Or are we dealing with a much more widespread culture of blame? We have seen corporations such as BP look to other players to blame for the gulf oil spill and tragedy. There was plenty of blame for the demise of Nortel and very little accountability. Sometimes it seems to be everywhere. I regularly hear people blaming their parents for their current lot in life as if they had no choices about their own lives.

It is time to change this culture of blame. I challenge leaders to act more like Michael McCain, CEO of Maple Leaf Foods. When a listeria outbreak occurred in Maple Leaf's packaged lunchmeat in 2008, he resisted any temptation to blame others and took responsibility, working to make sure the problem was fixed and consumers could continue to have confidence in Maple Leaf Foods. Instead of harming him, he retained and gained credibility while taking the steps needed to protect his customers.

Everyone makes mistakes and ministers and officials are no exception. To encourage accountability all of us need to be prepared to accept mistakes and judge on how they are handled, not that they are made. A leader, by the very word, is someone who accepts responsibility for his or her actions and the actions of those who are accountable to him or her.

While it may be difficult, a leader has the power to deal with the situation instead of relegating it to some nameless or sometimes "named "official who seldom gets an opportunity to explain what happened. Having been a senior public servant, I am well aware of the blame culture that has evolved and how this erodes the confidence of the public and those who work to give ministers and leaders their best advice. I encourage ministers and all leaders to be accountable and to take responsibility for mistakes and errors to show that we can have confidence in their leadership. We desperately need more role models demonstrating accountable leadership.

ALSO ON HUFFPOST:

Duffy's Downfall: A Chronology Of Events

(01 of57)

It took less than two years for Mike Duffy to go from a darling of the Conservative party to a political outcast and accused criminal.Here's an abridged chronology of the suspended senator's part in the Senate expense scandal at the heart of the allegations.(Information courtesy of The Canadian Press.)

December 2012(02 of57)

Questions are raised about how much time Conservative Sen. Mike Duffy spends at his declared primary residence in P.E.I. (pictured), since he is claiming living expenses for staying in his longtime Ottawa-area home. (credit:CP)

Dec. 4, 2012(03 of57)

Duffy says he got an email from Nigel Wright, the prime minister's chief of staff, saying it appeared that Duffy's residence expenses complied with the rules. (credit:CP)

Feb. 5, 2013(04 of57)

Reports emerge that Duffy applied for a P.E.I. health card in December 2012 and that he does not receive a resident tax credit for his home on the island. (credit:CP)

Feb. 8, 2013(05 of57)

Senate hires external auditing firm to review residence claims of Duffy, fellow Conservative Patrick Brazeau and Liberal Mac Harb (pictured). (credit:CP)

Feb. 11, 2013(06 of57)

Duffy sends email to prime minister's chief of staff Nigel Wright apparently containing advice from his lawer. It outlines certain scenarios for repayment of the expenses and the "assurances" he would require. (credit:CP)

Feb. 13, 2013(07 of57)

The date Duffy says he meets Harper and Wright after a Conservative caucus meeting. Harper tells Duffy he must repay questioned housing expenses. "The prime minister agreed I had not broken the rules but insisted I pay the money back, money I didn't owe, because the Senate's rules are, in his words, 'inexplicable to our base,'" Duffy says in an October 2013 speech in the Senate. (credit:CP)

Feb. 21, 2013(08 of57)

Duffy agrees to follow what he later describes as a PMO-drafted plan to cover up the source of a $90,000 payback to the Senate, including a story that he borrowed the money from RBC. "On Feb. 21, after all of the threats and intimidation, I reluctantly agreed to go along with this dirty scheme," he says in the speech. (credit:Getty Images)

Feb. 22, 2013(09 of57)

Claiming confusion with the rules, Duffy pledges to pay back the expenses. "My wife and I discussed it and we decided that in order to turn the page to put all of this behind us, we are going to voluntarily pay back my living expenses related to the house we have in Ottawa,'' he said at the time. (credit:CP)

Feb. 27, 2013(10 of57)

Harper says all senators meet the requirement that they live in the area they were appointed to represent. (credit:CP)

Feb. 28, 2013(11 of57)

Senate audit fails to turn up any questionable housing allowance claims beyond those of Brazeau (pictured), Harb and Duffy. (credit:CP)

Mar. 25, 2013(12 of57)

Wright sends a bank draft for $90,172.24 to the office of Duffy's lawyer. (credit:CP)

Mar. 26, 2013(13 of57)

$90,172.24 is transferred to Duffy's RBC bank account, and his cheque for $90,172.24 is delivered to the Senate. The cheque cleared Duffy's bank on Mar. 28. (credit:CP)

April 19, 2013(14 of57)

Duffy confirms he has repaid more than $90,000 in Senate housing expenses. "I have always said that I am a man of my word. In keeping with the commitment I made to Canadians, I can confirm that I repaid these expenses in March 2013.'' (credit:CP)

May 8, 2013(15 of57)

A meeting between PMO and Conservative senators and staff occurs to discuss the altering of a committee report on Duffy's residency and expenses. Negative language is removed. (credit:CP)

May 9, 2013(16 of57)

Senate releases Deloitte audits of Duffy, Harb and Brazeau, as well as the Senate committee reports. Harb and Brazeau are ordered to repay $51,000 and $48,000 respectively. The report on Duffy is shorter and does not include the same language suggesting he should have known the difference between primary and secondary residences. Government Senate Leader Marjory LeBreton (pictured) says the Senate now considers the Duffy matter closed. (credit:CP)

May 10, 2013(17 of57)

Conservative House leader Peter Van Loan says of Duffy: "He showed the kind of leadership that we would like to see from Liberal Sen. Mac Harb, who instead is taking up arms against the Senate, saying that he should not have to pay back inappropriate funds.'' (credit:CP)

May 12, 2013(18 of57)

RCMP says it will examine Senate expense claims. (credit:Waferboard/FLICKR)

May 14, 2013(19 of57)

Brazeau says he also broke no rules and is exploring all options to overturn an order to pay the money back. (credit:CP)

May 15, 2013(20 of57)

The Prime Minister's Office confirms that Wright personally footed the bill for Duffy's housing expenses because Duffy couldn't make a timely payment. (credit:CP)

May 16, 2013(21 of57)

The Canadian Press reports that Duffy submitted travel expense claims to the Senate on the same days that he was campaigning for Conservative candidates in 2011 and claiming expenses from them. He resigns from the Conservative caucus later that day. (credit:CP)

May 17, 2013(22 of57)

Sen. Pamela Wallin also announces she's leaving the Conservative caucus. Her travel expenses, which totalled more than $321,000 since September 2010, have been the subject of an external audit since December. (credit:CP)

May 19, 2013(23 of57)

Wright announces his resignation as Harper's chief of staff, a move Harper says he accepts with "great regret." Wright is replaced in the chief of staff's role by Ray Novak (pictured), who has been by Harper's side since 2001. In October, Harper says Wright was "dismissed." (credit:CP)

May 28, 2013(24 of57)

Senate internal economy committee holds a public meeting to review Duffy's expenses associated with travel. Senate finance officials say they've detected a pattern that concerns them. The committee votes to send the matter to the RCMP. (credit:CP)

June 3, 2013(25 of57)

Sen. Marjory LeBreton, the Conservative leader in the Senate, says she intends to ask the auditor general to look into all the expenses of the upper chamber. (credit:CP)

June 6, 2013(26 of57)

Conservative and Liberal senators agree to invite the auditor general to scrutinize the way they spend taxpayers' money. The same day, Harper tells the Commons that Wright paid the $90,000 with his own money: "Mr. Wright wrote a cheque on his own personal account and gave it to Mr. Duffy so he could repay his expenses. He told me about it on May 15. He obviously regrets that action. He has said it was an error in judgment and he will face the consequences as a consequence." (credit:CP)

June 13, 2013(27 of57)

The RCMP confirms it has launched a formal investigation into Wright's involvement in the expense scandal. Brazeau and Harb are given 30 days to reimburse taxpayers for their disallowed living expenses — bills that together total more than $280,000. (credit:CP)

July 4, 2013(28 of57)

Media reports say RCMP investigators allege that the Conservative party had planned to repay Duffy's improperly claimed living expenses, but balked when the bill turned out nearly three times higher than expected. (credit:CP)

July 5, 2013(29 of57)

Harper is accused of misleading Canadians after repeatedly insisting Wright acted on his own when he gave Duffy $90,000 to reimburse his invalid expense claims. The RCMP says in a court document that Wright told three other senior people in the PMO about the transaction. (credit:CP)

July 17, 2013(30 of57)

Harper's office says it has not been asked by the RCMP for an email at the heart of its criminal investigation into the Senate expenses scandal. The PMO denies withholding the email, which apparently summarizes the deal struck between Duffy and Wright to pay off invalid expense claims. (credit:CP)

Aug. 26, 2013(31 of57)

Harb resigns from the upper chamber. Harb, who earlier left the Liberal party to sit as an Independent, drops a lawsuit and pledges to repay his questioned living and expense claims. (credit:CP)

Oct. 8, 2013(32 of57)

RCMP alleges Duffy awarded $65,000 in Senate contracts to Gerald Donahue, a friend and former TV technician, who did little actual work for the money. (credit:CP)

Oct. 17, 2013(33 of57)

Claude Carignan, the government's new leader in the Senate, introduces motions to suspend Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau from the Senate. The motions call for the three to be stripped of their pay, benefits and Senate resources. (credit:CP)

Oct. 21, 2013(34 of57)

Duffy's lawyer, Donald Bayne, alleges Harper's staff and key Conservative senators were behind a scheme to have Duffy take the fall for wrongdoing that they agreed he had not committed. (credit:CP)

Oct. 22, 2013(35 of57)

In his explosive speech in the Senate chamber, Duffy accuses Harper's office of orchestrating a ''monstrous fraud'' aimed at snuffing out controversy over his expenses. Duffy accuses the prime minister of being more interested in appeasing his Conservative base than the truth. (credit:CP)

Oct. 28, 2013(36 of57)

Duffy delivers another speech, this time saying the Conservative party made arrangements to cover his $13,560 legal bill. "The PMO — listen to this — had the Conservative party's lawyer, Arthur Hamilton, pay my legal fees," Duffy says. He also casts doubt on whether Wright actually paid the $90,000: "I have never seen a cheque from Nigel Wright." (credit:CP)

Nov. 5, 2013(37 of57)

A Nov. 1 letter from the RCMP superintendent in charge of the investigation reveals that investigators want copies of emails and documents mentioned by Duffy, including emails from the PMO related to a "script" for Duffy to follow in publicly explaining how he financed repaying the expenses. The documents "may potentially be evidence of criminal wrongdoing by others," the letter reads. (credit:CP)

Nov. 5, 2013(38 of57)

Senators finally vote to suspend Brazeau, Duffy and Wallin without pay — but with health, dental and life insurance benefits intact — for the remainder of the parliamentary session. (credit:CP)

Jan. 29, 2014(39 of57)

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau expels the 32 Liberal senators from his caucus in what he calls an effort to reduce partisanship in the upper chamber. He says if he becomes prime minister he would appoint only independent senators, chosen through an open public process. (credit:CP)

April 15, 2014:(40 of57)

RCMP inform Nigel Wright he will not face criminal charges. (credit:CP)

July 17, 2014(41 of57)

Duffy is charged with 31 counts, including fraud, breach of trust and bribery. (credit:CP)

Sept. 23, 2014:(42 of57)

A trial date is set for April 7, 2015, with 41 days set aside in April, May and June. (credit:CP)

'I Can't Figure Out Why The RCMP Would Have Anything To Do With This'(43 of57)

Sen. Mike Duffy sent an email to Nigel Wright following a news story referencing a Senate matter.(Continued)

'I am Extremely Frustrated'(44 of57)

'I Am No Longer 100% Sure We Can Deliver'(45 of57)

On March 1, Duffy's lawyer Janice Payne emailed former PMO legal adviser Ben Perrin for an update.

'I Am Personally Covering Duffy's $90K...'(46 of57)

In an March 8 email, Wright told Chris Woodcock the party would not be paying the Duffy cheque.

'But PM's Reputation – And That Of Sen Caucus – Going Down In Flames''(47 of57)

On May 9, Wright responded to an email forwarded by Ray Novak from Sen. Linda Frum over concerns about protecting Tory senators.

'Chinese Water Torture'(48 of57)

On page 26 of the documents, the RCMP note "On February 15, there were e-mail discussions within the PMO about the SenateRules committee and a proposed definition of residency, Nigel Wright e-mailed Benjamin Perrin."

'He Just Handed The Libs The Reason To Go To The Police'(49 of57)

On page 44 of the documents, the RCMP detail an email exchange between Tory Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen and PMO staffers Chris Woodcock and Patrick Rogers.

'We Are Good To Go From The PM'(50 of57)

Page 32 of the documents details a Feb. 22 email from Nigel Wright to staffers in the PMO, including lawyer Benjamin Perrin.

'The PM Knows, In Broad Terms Only...'(51 of57)

Page 45 of the documents details an email on May 14 from PMO staffer Andrew MacDougall to Nigel Wright and others. MacDougall says he has received inquiries from a journalist about Nigel Wright co-signing a loan for Senator Duffy to repay the money. Carl Vallee, PMO Press Secretary, writes:"Would the PM know the actual answer to the question? Just in case he asks us."

1) He probably took a BIG pay cut to work in the PMO(52 of57)

It is believed that Wright was earning more than $2 million in salary and bonuses at Onex before serving as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff. Wright made around $300,000 working on Parliament Hill. (credit:(CP))

2) He's unmarried(53 of57)

Along with John Baird, Jason Kenney, and James Moore, Wright was one of four “single, white males” profiled in Maclean’s magazine in 2011 as holding immense power in Harper’s inner circle. Moore has since tied the knot, and Baird has resigned. (credit:(CP))

3) He's a big runner(54 of57)

Wright would apparently run a half-marathon each morning before starting a 14-hour work day at Onex.He kept that pace after he began working in Ottawa.He is said to be fond of telling a story of once being surrounded by several snarling dogs during an early morning run - a perfect metaphor for politics. (credit:(CP/The Globe and Mail))

4) Harper wasn't the first PM he worked for(55 of57)

Wright was a speechwriter and policy adviser to former prime minister Brian Mulroney. He was also policy co-ordinator for Kim Campbell's leadership campaign. (credit:(CP))

5) He almost became a priest(56 of57)

Wright considered joining the Anglican priesthood as a young man. He is currently a subdeacon at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church in Toronto. (credit:(CP/The Globe and Mail))

6) He was the subject of a conflict of interest probe(57 of57)

The federal ethics watchdog cleared Wright of conflict of interest allegations in January, 2013. Ethics commissioner Mary Dawson investigated Wright after it was reported he was lobbied on three occasions by Barrick Gold Corp, despite deep personal connections to the company’s founding family. Dawson found there was no violation of the Conflict of Interest Act. (credit:(CP))

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