As we continue to sort through the entrails of the RCMP affidavit on the ClusterDuff investigation, Kady O’Malley tries to make more sense of just what kind of information that Senator Irving Gerstein was trying to get from Deloitte about the status of the audits. Despite those early assertions that Nigel Wright was a great friend of Mike Duffy, which was why he helped him out, those RCMP documents show that there was no love lost between Wright and Duffy, and that Wright was beyond frustrated with Duffy and had reached the limits of his patience and was ready to simply communicate with Duffy lawyer-to-lawyer. I still remain somewhat suspicious that the Wright’s motivation to repay Duffy’s expenses was simply “noblesse oblige,” and that there may have been some other reason that we remain unaware of. The PMO, meanwhile, continues to sideline Wright and is intimating that he gave misleading information in one of the memos that was turned over to the RCMP. Here are a few more interesting tidbits about Wright that are revealed from the documents. Rosemary Barton talks to former Commons law clerk Rob Walsh about the possible charges, and what is likely to stick and what won’t. Glen McGregor looks at the curious way in which the RCMP investigator took the extraordinary steps of releasing the ITO to the public. Stephen Maher has a look at Senator Gerstein, Canada’s single best political fundraiser. John Ivison looks at the damage to Harper’s brand that the ClusterDuff affair is doing, the effect it’s having in the Brandon-Souris by-election, and the fact that there is talk now in the party of replacing him if things continue. Andrew Coyne tries to ascertain just what it is that Mike Duffy was doing as he continually changed his demands every time they came to some kind of agreement.

CBC has been looking into the practice of cars that were built in Canada being thousands of dollars more expensive to purchase in this country rather than the States, and that dealers will simply refuse transactions if they find out that the customer is Canadian. I didn’t see mention of the Senate report (opens PDF) on the Canada-US price differential in their piece, however, as that included a look at why there was that discrepancy, which can have to do with differences in safety regulations between our two countries.

Given that the Liberals’ opposition day was rescheduled last week, they have decided that they will be discussing ClusterDuff revelations and to condemn the actions of the PMO in the whole affair, and calling once again to have Harper and other key players answer questions under oath in committee. Somehow I don’t think the Conservatives will be all that receptive to this proposal either.

Aaron Wherry checks in with the modest reforms that various MPs are promoting to the way that the Commons does its business.

Brent Rathgeber’s public sector disclosure bill was up for report stage debate yesterday, where he is trying to introduce new amendments to try and salvage it after the government rendered it useless in committee. So far it looks like it’ll be an uphill battle.

The former staffer accusing Senator Colin Kenny of sexual harassment apparently sent an email to Liberal leader Justin Trudeau to detail the allegations – but labelled it “Senate reform,” thus getting it mixed in with the hundreds of other emails pouring on over the ClusterDuff affair. (One of course wonders why she would have sent it to Trudeau, since he doesn’t manage the senate caucus – Senator James Cowan does). Kenny put out a statement to say that the charges are without merit and that he will be vindicated. That didn’t stop the Conservatives and NDP from making partisan hay out of the allegations, as though they somehow tarred the whole party.

In by-election news, the Conservative candidate in Provencher accused a gay teen whose high-profile case of a being bullied as being staged for his own ends. No, seriously. Keep it klassy! What is encouraging is that a Mennonite pastor from the riding called out said candidate out on his statements, for what it’s worth. Trudeau penned an open letter to the citizens of the riding to counter the letter that Harper sent out shortly beforehand, and to correct the record as to his actual statements and positions.

Susan Delacourt warns about journalists predicting electoral results, and why it’s dangerous for them to do so.

And over in Australia, the governor general there is getting political, talking about republicanism and same-sex marriage in opposition to the current prime minister’s views. It’s a very curious affair that would be anathema to the way things happen here, and the way they should happen under our system of Responsible Government.