BBC News, 19
May 2013
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| Nigel Wright said he had not informed the prime minister about the cheque at the time |
Nigel
Wright quit after revelations he had secretly given a senator a C$90,000
(£58,000; $87,000) cheque to help repay improperly claimed housing expenses.
The
conservative prime minister said he had accepted the resignation of his chief
of staff "with great regret".
Mr Wright
is now expected to be replaced by Ray Novak, media reports in Canada say.
Sen Mike
Duffy, a former journalist, resigned from the Conservative caucus on Thursday
two days after revelations about the cheque emerged.
Nigel
Wright is a managing director of a major Canadian private equity firm who has
been on secondment to the prime minister's office since 2011.
Opposition
lawmakers say his cheque broke ethics rules barring senators from taking
presents.
On Sunday,
Mr Wright said in a statement that he had decided to step down "in light
of the controversy surrounding my handling of matters involving Senator
Duffy".
"I
regret the impact of this matter on the government, our caucus, and all of my
colleagues," he added.
He stressed
that he had not informed the prime minister about the cheque.
The federal
ethics commissioner is now examining the matter.
The prime
minister thanked his chief of staff for his work since 2011, accepting that he
believed he had acted in the public interest.
Ray Novak,
who is reportedly replacing Nigel Wright, has acted as Mr Harper's principal
secretary for several years.
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