Key developments:
• Major players in the Gerald Donohue contracts (but not Donohue himself) testified today
• Makeup artist said she did both Duffy’s and Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s makeup for a G8/G10 event and the $300 bill was paid by Donohue’s company
• Personal trainer testified that he combined “consulting” with training at Duffy’s home and was told to invoice Donohue’s company
CHANGE OF PACE
After detailed and often tedious examinations and cross-examinations of the first two Crown witnesses over several days, the pace in the courtroom picked up Thursday with testimony from three new faces: a former volunteer in Duffy’s office, a makeup artist and the suspended senator’s personal trainer.
The judge had warned the court on Wednesday that the trial would not wrap up in the allotted 41 days, but questions from both sides were relatively brief and to the point on Thursday.
Here's the recap:
THE VOLUNTEER
Ashley Cain, who had a volunteer role in Duffy’s office in 2010, confirmed that she received $500 for “doing good work” over several months. She said she didn’t expect to be paid or sign a contract or employment papers.
Cain received the $500 cheque from Maple Ridge Media, the company run by Duffy’s friend Gerald Donohue. The Crown has alleged that Duffy improperly used service contracts with Donohue to distribute payments to others from his Senate office budget.
Cain said her volunteer duties included sorting through Duffy’s Senate mail and sending out acknowledgements of receipt. Under questioning from Duffy’s lawyer Donald Bayne, she agreed that she was doing real and meaningful work in Duffy’s office.
Cain now works in the Prime Minister’s Office.
THE MAKEUP ARTIST
Jacqueline Lambert testified that she invoiced $300 to Maple Ridge Media for the makeup services she provided to both Duffy and Prime Minister Stephen Harper for a televised G8/G10 event in 2010.
She said $300 was the flat-rate fee that would have been charged even if only Duffy had his makeup done.
Lambert, who had been providing makeup services for Duffy before he was appointed to the Senate, said Duffy instructed her to invoice Maple Ridge Media.
The makeup artist told the court that she had also done the late Jim Flaherty’s makeup before televised budget presentations, and said she believes she invoiced the Conservative Party for the work.
THE PERSONAL TRAINER
Mike Croskery, who runs a fitness company, told the court that he met Duffy by chance on a berry farm in the fall of 2007. About a month after they met, Duffy hired Croskery as a personal trainer.
Croskery said the training sessions took place in Duffy’s Kanata, Ont., home just outside of Ottawa. He said Duffy paid him with personal cheques in 2008 and 2009, before was appointed to the Senate.
After Duffy’s appointment to the Senate, training sessions continued at his home. Croskery said he then started “consulting” the senator as they met for the exercises. Croskery said Duffy told him to invoice Maple Ridge Media and Ottawa ICF, another company run by Donohue. He said he had never met or spoke with Donohue.
Croskery said he interpreted his consultations with Duffy as getting information on health and fitness for older adults for a project. But he said he never did any extra work for Duffy or produced any written reports. He also said Duffy’s project never seemed to get “traction.”
Bayne noted that Croskery has a long consulting resume and that Duffy paid him personally when he wasn’t being consulted.
Bayne showed a charge that indicates Croskery was on average charging about $71 or so per hour for consulting. This was much lower than the going rate of $200 per hour for other consultants, so he wasn’t over-billing. The witness agreed.
