Duffy walks, but questions remain

The end of the Mike Duffy trial offers a cautionary tale to politicians as well as insight into how the justice system works. And it leaves big questions about Senate reform.

Canadian politicos have been gripped by the Duffy trial, which ended Thursday with the dismissal of all 31 fraud, breach of trust and bribery counts against him. For those senators caught up in the RCMP investigation into misuse of funds, reputations have been damaged. The whole affair has damaged the perception of government in Canada, and it has hurt the red chamber. Justice Charles Vaillancourt said it was not the job of the court to fix the Senate and its rules, and this ruling does not sort out the expenses scandal. The Senate has serious work to do reforming its rules, to prevent misuse of public funds. Duffy’s vindication is not the Senate’s exoneration. Senators must know that.