Ex-aide to Prime Minister Stephen Harper Bruce Carson spoke out yesterday in a surprising phone call to CBC’s Power and Politics where he said he was surprised Harper didn’t know about the Duffy affair. Carson said sensitive information was always given to Harper “immediately” – “no matter how bad.”

The pro-cooperation candidate of the NDP showed the party’s ugly head today as he orchestrated the defeat of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s accountability measures and turned to old-style dirty politics. Former NDP leader Jack Layton may have said he wanted to fix Ottawa, but it turns out people in his party like NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen are only part of the problem. A party dropping further into third place and in a vengeance against a Liberal comeback, today’s events weren’t fuelled on principle, but on sleazy NDP politics.

Conservative senator David Tkachuk is stepping down as head of the Internal Economy Committee as of Thursday citing “preventative treatment for cancer.” Tkachuk was allegedly responsible for whitewashing an audit made on the expense claims of former Conservative Senator Mike Duffy. He chaired the committee since 2011 and was appointed to the senate in 1993 by former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

There is nothing more important to a rising star in the Conservative Party than to look good. It turns out, there’s no sweeter deal than claiming salon expenses and more personal expenses on taxpayers. Adams is joining the growing list of Conservative MPs and Senators who think it is alright to have the Canadian taxpayer pay for their personal affairs. The list of expenses is hair raising and brings the Conservative abuse of taxpayer’s money to a new level.

CBC released a bombshell story yesterday revealing the PMO hid a secret fund for seven years and was used for untracked partisan spending. The fund was secret and was guarded by four chief of staffs since its creation in 2006, along with a five-member board from the Conservative Fund of Canada. The Conservatives have since denied the existence of the fund, despite admitting to its existence only 18 hours ago.

CBC News has learned the PMO has a secret fund, allegedly paid for by the Conservative Party, to be used for funds the PMO deems isn’t best to leave on the taxpayers’ backs. Questions have been raised whether Nigel Wright, who controlled the fund, either used the money to pay Mike Duffy or was reimbursed with this money for paying Duffy. Furthermore, questions are raised as to why a secret fund using Conservative funds isn’t just declared as expenses incurred by the Conservative Party.

Former Conservative backbencher MP Brent Rathgeber resigned the Conservative caucus tonight, citing the government’s lack of accountability as the reason. This comes as he tried to pass private members Bill C-461 which aimed to release public sector salaries but got shot down by the Conservative government. Rathgeber was one of the 9 MPs that revolted in support of Stephen Woodworth’s right to discuss abortion politics and stood against PMO muzzling.

The RCMP announced it is looking into whether it will launch a criminal investigation into the Duffy affair but added it will not make such a decision public. Assistant Commissioner of the new National Division Gilles Michaud said they are is looking at the evidence it has obtained and insists it will resist pressure from Public Safety Minister Vic Toews who was mandated to monitor and regulate its activities.

What started as an isolated set of robocalls misdirecting voters in Guelph expanded to effect over 50 ridings as irregularities happened during the 2011 election campaign that gave the Conservatives their coveted majority. Did the Conservatives legitimately win the 2011 election campaign? Let’s take a look at the scandal from how it unfolded.

A new string of emails from September 2009 suggest Duffy was trying to cash in from Conservative coffers. The senator who entered claiming to be non-partisan was already caught in another email, just three months sooner, asking who to charge for an “expanded role” in the Conservative Party.