The Duffy Affair exploded with controversy Tuesday when disgraced senator Mike Duffy implicated Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the scandal in a speech to the senate to save his job. The speech has led a domino effect exposing over a dozen Conservative insiders who knew of the affair – despite Harper’s claims that former Chief of Staff Nigel Wright acted alone.

It is no secret the only media the Conservatives trust is their own and insiders will often refer to the “liberal media” or “media elite” as a cause for criticisms on their governance and their difficulty attaining power prior to 2006. This mistrust and hatred as spilled to the way Harper deals with journalists and a recent feud is now the centre of a Tory fundraising ploy.

The Conservative government is set to return Wednesday with a throne speech that will avoid the senate scandal by taking pages out of the opposition’s – notably the NDP’s – playbook.

The alarms were raised when Carolyn Stewart Olsen helped whitewash a senate audit into then-Conservative senator Mike Duffy. Recently, Olsen has herself pledged to repay monies that she took from Canadian taxpayers on the basis of false housing allowance claims while she owned property in Ottawa.

Major U.S. Democratic Party fundraiser Tom Steyer sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper suggesting his firm lobbying for the XL Keystone pipeline may have contributed to the U.S. shut down.

Elections Canada has laid charges on Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro and one of his campaign staffers after a two year investigation into his campaign finances. If convicted, Del Mastro could face a $5,000 fine and 5-year jail sentence for concealing $21,000 in campaign expenses. The PMO has since expelled him from the Conservative caucus and his court date is set for November 7, 2013.

American newspaper giant the New York Times has slammed Prime Minister Stephen Harper for trying to “guarantee public ignorance” in a recent editorial.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper wrapped up his annual Northern Tour yesterday dodging the media and blocking Chinese journalist Li Xue Jiang from asking a question.

Parliament won’t resume until October, possibly October 21, thanks to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s latest decision to prorogue parliament as his party scrambles with damage control.

Democratic Reform Minister Pierre Poilievre announced the government can reform the senate without opening the constitution.