Harper's Chief of Staff Held Fundraiser for PC Candidate

Author of memo telling MPs to 'not become the story' in the Ontario provincial election becomes, well, the story.

If you recall, Prime Minster Stephen Harper's chief of staff, Nigel Wright, sent out a memo to Tory MPs warning them not to make their support of candidates in the Ontario provincial election too obvious. Perhaps Wright should have read his own memo, as it turns out that he hosted a $250-a-guest wine-and-cheese fundraiser for a Progressive Conservative candidate in Toronto. On Aug. 29, Wright feted Trinity-Spadina candidate Mike Yen at his home in the downtown Toronto riding, where, let's face it, Yen stands absolutely no chance of beating either NDP incumbent Rosario Marchese or Liberal candidate Sarah Thomson. So it's not like Wright's role in the provincial election will be at all consequential, beyond stripping the wallets of the handful of Tories in one of the most liberal electoral districts on the planet, of course. But we're always more than willing to point out hypocrisy, especially that of unelected officials with unparalleled access to the levers of power. Yen, who we're sure is a reasonable and honest candidate, has so far attracted between zilch and nil in terms of media coverage, which means Wright's fundraiser is now the biggest story about the PCs in Trinity-Spadina. Kettle, we believe the pot has just called you black.