Harper’s next chief of staff accused of conflicts of interest

The opposition parties are saying that Nigel Wright’s ties to Bay Street make him unfit for the government job.

Wright, a current executive at Onex Corp., was chosen to take over Guy Giorno’s post as Stephen Harper’s chief of staff at the end of the year. But because Onex owns interests in dozens of companies in several different industries, the opposition is calling for Wright to explain how he plans to avoid conflicts of interest while working for the government. They say the conflict is exacerbated by the fact that Wright plans to return to Onex after serving the PM. The Conservatives have said that Wright will sever many of his business ties and that some of his investments will be put in a blind trust. It’s rare that high-ranking political staffers are chosen from the business world.