Newman: Did the Senate scandal derail Prime Minister Harper’s South America trip?

Harper should have stayed home.

The reasons for his South American trip were completely lost because of the Senate scandal. Instead of spotlighting a region of growing importance to Canada, the timing made it look as though he was fleeing the country to avoid dealing with questions he wanted to avoid.

It is true he went when he did to time a visit with regional economic meetings, but all of that was lost and he would have been better to stay home and face the music from the Duffy-Wright-Wallen mess that is ruining his and his government’s reputation.

As a recent letter to the editor stated: “For Harper, when the going gets tough it is either Prorogation or Peru.”