Scandal questions dog Canada PM on the election campaign trail

By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen
Harper struggled to shake off an ethics scandal dogging his
re-election campaign on Wednesday as the criminal trial of a
former ally threatened to erode voter support and cover-up
allegations spread to his chief of staff.
The crisis is one of the most serious to hit Harper's
right-of-center Conservatives, who are seeking to extend a
near-decade in power in the Oct. 19 election. Amid an uproar
over revelations in the trial, involving dubious expenses filed
by a Conservative senator, polls show the party is likely to
lose its majority in the House of Commons, and might even be
defeated.
The trial has heard that Harper's current chief of staff,
Ray Novak, knew more than he has admitted about Conservative
efforts to cover up improper expense claims filed by Senator
Mike Duffy, once seen as valuable Harper ally. In 2013, Harper
fired his then chief of staff, Nigel Wright, for his involvement
in the scandal.
Opposition parties say Harper is not telling the truth about
how much he knew of a plan to pay off Duffy, who faces fraud and
bribery charges.
On the campaign trail, reporters repeatedly asked Harper why
Novak is still on the job, and opposition leaders called for
Novak to be fired. Both sides are watching the clock, wondering
whether the furor will last long enough to affect the election,
still two months away.
The long-awaited trial, related to a scandal that broke in
2013, is scheduled to adjourn on Aug. 28 and not resume until
November, after the election.
Harper, crisscrossing the country, tried to remain focused
on his campaign.
"I am not going to discuss individual things before the
court," Harper told reporters in London, Ontario, when asked
repeatedly why Novak was still in his job.
At one Harper campaign stop this week, a Conservative
supporter verbally attacked reporters for focusing on the Duffy
trial and had to be removed from an event.
The opposition is keeping the pressure on.
"Canadians are not fools. They know that it's clear Mr
Harper has not been telling the truth," Liberal leader Justin
Trudeau told reporters in Winnipeg.
Conservatives say privately that Duffy's trial is so
complicated it may not resonate with voters. But in a sign of
unease among some supporters, former Conservative legislator
Randy White told CTV television on Tuesday he might vote for the
left-leaning New Democrats, who have a slight lead in most
polls.
($1=$1.32 Canadian)