Joe Clark critical of Harper's handling of Senate scandal - Action News
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Joe Clark critical of Harper's handling of Senate scandal

Former prime minister Joe Clark says current PM Stephen Harper needs to tell the real story about what went on with Senator Mike Duffy and Nigel Wright, the PM's former chief of staff.

Former prime minister Joe Clark appears on Mansbridge One on One

Joe Clark on Senate scandal

11 years ago
Duration 2:27
Excerpt from Peter Mansbridge's interview with former prime minister Joe Clark about the Senate scandal

Former prime minister Joe Clark says current PM Stephen Harper needs to "bring people into the facts" and tell the real story about what went on with Senator Mike Duffy and Nigel Wright, the PM's former chief of staff.

Clark has written a new book titledHow We Lead about Canada's foreign policy, and our country's globalstanding. The bookis quite critical about Harper's approach to international affairs.

CBC chief correspondent PeterMansbridge interviewed Clark on Wednesday about leadership, not only on foreign affairs, but also on management,including how he sees the Senate scandal that's been unfolding in Ottawa.

See the full interview with former prime minister Joe Clark on MansbridgeOneon One this weekend

Saturday
CBC News Network 6:30 p.m. ET

Sunday
CBC News Network 12:30 a.m. & 3:30 a.m. ET
CBC Television 12:30 p.m./1:00 p.m. NT

Clark says Harper should get some advice about how to tell the story effectively.

PM: "As unlikely as it may seem, if Stephen Harper picked up the phone and called you up and said, 'I need your advice,'what would be the single piece of advice you'd give him on what washappening right now?"

JC: Right now, I think he has to bring people into the facts. That's a careful way of saying"

PM: "It's a careful way of saying he's not telling us the real story."

JC: "And I think he needs to tell the real story and I think he needs to seek some advice as to what's the most effective way to do that....That's a question he should have asked a long time ago."

Clark also saysthat what really surprises him is that the partyis attacking its own.

"It raises a very real question that comes back to the prime minister: if Mike Duffy has been such a problem, who appointed him? If Nigel Wright is the person they're blaming, who hired him?"

"This is very tricky ground for the prime minister and he, I think, is trapped by a process, by a use of a process that he himself created," Clark says.