LIBERAL Senator James S. Cowan, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, said in a statement this week: “Anyone who still believes the Conservatives are telling Canadians everything about the Wright-Duffy scandal only needs follow the votes to know what is really happening: a cover-up is still going-on.

“We now know that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) attempted to interfere in an audit to protect Conservative Senator Mike Duffy, who was worried that it would determine that his primary residence was not PEI.

“Court documents reveal that PMO had Conservative Senator Irving Gerstein reach-out to a senior contact at Deloitte, Michael Runia, about the audit. We do not know what Senator Gerstein said to Mr. Runia.

“Afterwards, a PMO staffer wrote that “we should make arrangements for repayment KNOWING that Deloitte will not say one way or another on his residency.” (Emphasis added)

“Yet back in February, PMO was worried that the audit would come out against Senator Duffy. How did PMO know the outcome of the audit a month before it came out?

“To clear the air, we need to hear from Mr. Runia—especially since so far as we know the RCMP is not investigating the attempted interference. Yet when Liberal Senators proposed a motion to have Mr. Runia testify, the Conservatives voted it down.  Why?

“An attempt was made to tamper with the audit paid for by more than half a million of taxpayers’ dollars. By blocking attempts to get to the truth, the Conservatives are protecting their friends and shamelessly continuing to cover-up what happened.”