Statement by NDP Ethics Critic Charlie Angus on the resignation of the Prime Minister's Chief of staff Nigel Wright

Conservatives are now in full-out political panic over the pay-off to Mike Duffy and attempted cover up of the Senate expense scandal. Nigel Wright's resignation doesn't fix anything.

They tossed Mr. Duffy on Thursday, Ms. Wallin on Friday and now Nigel Wright has jumped ship on the Sunday of a long weekend. If Stephen Harper thinks this will make the scandal involving his own office go away, he is mistaken.

Nigel Wright needs to come clean on the details of the deal he negotiated to cover up for Senator Duffy's expense claims and whitewash the Senate Committee report. Mr. Wright has to come clean on what the $90,000 bought; why a leaked email from Senator Duffy said that he "stayed silent on the orders of the PMO"; and whether Stephen Harper – a man well known for his personal control over the Conservative government – was aware that his Chief of Staff was negotiating a deal to pay off Mr Duffy and "go easy" on him by influencing a Senate Committee report.

With so many unanswered questions and serious allegations mounting, we need an independent investigation more than ever to determine exactly what happened.

After promising to clean up the corruption and improve accountability in Ottawa, Stephen Harper has failed and his Conservative government is reeling from one scandal to another.