Sen. Mike Duffy is staying in his secluded Prince Edward Island cottage as controversy surrounding improper expense claims continues to grow.
Duffy did not answer the door at 10 Friendly Lane. Instead, a call from inside the Cavendish cottage summoned the RCMP to remove journalists from the property.
鈥淭he only thing I'll say guys is, the claim was made that you were on the property and the property owner doesn't want you on the property,鈥� the attending officer said. 鈥淪o the only thing I will ask is you just don't return to this property."
The unsuccessful interview attempt came on a day when the Senate鈥檚 internal economy committee indicated that it plans to take another look at Duffy鈥檚 expense claims.
Duffy鈥檚 expenses had been the subject of an internal audit, as were those of Senators Patrick Brazeau and Mac Harb, over concerns about their living expense claims. Last week, a Senate committee ordered Brazeau to repay about $48,000, and Harb $51,000.
Earlier this week, CTV鈥檚 Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported that the prime minister鈥檚 Chief of Staff Nigel Wright gave Duffy a $90,000 personal cheque so the senator could repay improperly claimed living expenses, which he did in March. The cheque, which is considered a gift, may have violated ethics rules, which state that senators must declare all gifts over $500 within 30 days.
On Thursday, 麻豆传媒 reported that documents show Duffy billed taxpayers for Senate business while he campaigned for the Conservatives during the last federal election. The documents raise questions about whether Duffy double-billed for expenses.
The Conservative Party said it paid for Duffy鈥檚 campaign expenses.
Amid the growing questions, Duffy stepped down from the Conservative caucus Thursday, saying the controversy 鈥渉as become a distraction.鈥�
Residents of the tiny community of Cavendish, which was built to host vacationers, are divided. Some pity the senator, and others say the entire controversy could have been avoided if Duffy had never been appointed as a senator from P.E.I. in the first place.
"Very shady eh?鈥� one resident said. 鈥淚t makes Islanders look bad to tell you the truth."
"If someone gives you $90,000 to pay something off, something's going on, don't you think so?鈥� wondered another.
A third said: 鈥淲ell, he shouldn't be in the Senate anymore, that鈥檚 what I would say.鈥�
With a report from CTV鈥檚 Atlantic Bureau Chief Todd Battis
