On Mike Duffy:
"From the evidence, Senator Duffy seems to have been a very popular speaker and was much sought after to make speeches. It appears that Senator Duffy often used humour and stories to convey his message to his audience. I do not conclude that being an entertaining speaker impacts on Senator Duffy's credibility. … At the end of the day, I find that Senator Duffy is an overall credible witness."
On the $90,000 payment from Nigel Wright:
"I find based on all of the evidence that Senator Duffy was forced into accepting Nigel Wright's funds so that the government could rid itself of an embarrassing political fiasco that just was not going away. I find that Senator Duffy did not demonstrate a true acceptance of the funds and he did not accept them voluntarily. Throughout the entire 'Scenario,' Senator Duffy was kicking and screaming to have the issues dealt with in an appropriate forum. However, as a result of the co-ordinated and threatening efforts of the PMO, his free will was overwhelmed and he capitulated."
On the Crown's failure to challenge witnesses:
"Of particular note, there was no cross-examination of Senator Duffy on the key charges involving Nigel Wright. The end result of the lack of cross-examination is that much of Senator Duffy's testimony is left unchallenged."
On damage control in Stephen Harper's PMO:
"Was Nigel Wright actually ordering senior members of the Senate around as if they were mere pawns on a chessboard? … The political, covert, relentless, unfolding of events is mind-boggling and shocking. The precision and planning of the exercise would make any military commander proud."
On Gerald Donohue, who received consulting contracts from Mr. Duffy's Senate budget:
"[The Crown] painted a picture of an uneducated high school drop-out possessing no qualifications to be considered either as a bone fide consultant or trustee. … Mr. Donohue was, in fact, well qualified by his life's work and achievements to consult, to do research for, and to advise Senator Duffy on a daily/weekly basis on a broad range of matters."
On his dealings with fitness instructor Mike Croskery:
"I think it is fair to conclude from Senator Duffy's evidence that he has never been an eager participant in exercise regimes. … Mr. Croskery was very qualified to provide the consulting services required by Senator Duffy. I also am satisfied that the consultant component of Mr. Croskery's meetings with Senator Duffy became the main focus of their meetings. I acknowledge that Senator Duffy may have sat on an exercise bike during some of these sessions but the exercise component of the relationship had become negligible."
On the mix of personal and business interests during a trip to British Columbia:
"This trip illustrated the age old debate of what came first, the chicken or the egg. I tend to agree with [the Crown] that the pending birth of Senator Duffy's grandchild was a great motivational reason to be in the Vancouver area near the beginning of December 2010. Any suggestion by Senator Duffy to the contrary does not impress me much. Although Senator Duffy's opportunistic acceptance of a legitimate speaking engagement also provided him with the opportunity to see his new grandchild does create a negative perceptual image, it does not amount to criminal conduct."