News from the ClusterDuff file last night as the RCMP announced that they won’t be seeking criminal charges against Nigel Wright – not that it doesn’t mean that he didn’t do anything wrong. It just means that they didn’t have enough evidence to that they felt that they could secure a conviction, which is a long way off from exoneration. The end of the RCMP investigation means that Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson’s investigation into the activities can now restart, which doesn’t mean that Wright is free and clear (not that those sanctions will be too severe – a slap on the wrist and/or being named and shamed tends to be the extent of it). It also means that he is now free to be a witness in any other ongoing investigations, such as the one into Mike Duffy himself. Wright did put out a brief statement by way of his lawyer that said that he always knew his actions were lawful – but it’s still a stretch based on this turn of events to make that kind of a declaration. It also means that Harper can’t hide behind the excuse of an RCMP investigation when asked questions in the House – unless he tries to use the investigation into Duffy as the smokescreen, which I wouldn’t put past him. CBC put together a special At Issue panel to discuss this turn of events.

The Senate report on their pre-study of the Fair Elections Act was formally released yesterday, with its nine unanimous recommendations, along with an additional seven recommendations by the Senate Liberals that the Conservatives didn’t end up agreeing to. That the Conservative senators are pushing back is interesting, though there are a number of theories that this has all been orchestrated by the PMO in an attempt to make everyone come out looking like a winner, though it has also been noted that the agreed-upon Senate recommendations don’t go far enough, which is probably true. But it’s also more likely change in the bill than the NDP’s latest gambit, which is to try and ask that Conservative MPs defeat their own party’s bill. (They might as well be asking for unicorns). CBC has seven other parts of the bill other than vouching which are also problematic and deserve attention. In related news, all of those recognized small parties (which have no hope of winning seats) all banded together to co-sign a letter opposing the bill. It’s quite precious, really.

The RCMP put out a release yesterday saying that they asked CRA not to divulge more details on the Heartbleed Bug data breach while they followed up on a “credible lead” as to whoever was behind it. Not that it makes the government’s response any less clumsy.

As part of the procurement strategy for new search and rescue aircraft, the government will not only have private firms bidding on which craft they offer, but they will also allow winning bidders to dictate where they want those craft located, which means that those companies will wind up dictating where the military places its personnel and resources – something that is sending up a number of red flags. But no, our procurement system isn’t horribly broken in this country.

The military has sent out new letters to the families of fallen soldiers regarding the Day of Honour scheduled for next month, and yes, these ones to indicate that the government will pay their travel costs.

While Canada and NATO allies mull a possible deployment in Eastern Europe over the situation in Ukraine, the government announced that we’ll be “taking a stand” and staying away from the Arctic Council meeting in Moscow, though it’s difficult to know exactly what kind of stand it is we’re supposed to be taking. Because it’s not like Leona Aglukkaq can do any less work for the environment than she is doing currently.

The PMO is refuting the assertions in Tom Flanagan’s latest book that Stephen Harper is a paranoid Nixonian person who can be subject to bouts of week-long depression that paralyses is decision-making process. Of course they would.

Another Conservative incumbent MP, David Tilson, is facing a nomination challenger in his riding. That the challenger is a former staffer of Baird and Kenney’s I’m sure will provide some PMOlogists endless hours of speculation.

And my column this week takes another look at the open nominations, and of the four notable ones, three of them have some questions attached, which should be looked at more carefully.

Up today: The state funeral for Jim Flaherty, attended by all party leaders in the Commons as well as the Governor General.