Mike Duffy trial: Harper's gone, but Senate scandal lingers: Rosemary Barton

When last we left this place, the importance of every word was being weighed in courtroom 33 and beyond.

The next phase of the Mike Duffy trial begins tomorrowbut save for one witnessthe spotlight has already begun to fade on the Ottawa courthouse.

• Senator Mike Duffy to star in the last chapter of his long trial
• The fourth phase of the Mike Duffy trial has been delayed, will resume on Nov. 19
• Mike Duffy trial: 7 things we learned from Nigel Wright's testimony
• Ray Novak, PM's top aide, told twice that Wright would cover Duffy's expenses, court hears

The star political witness has already testified, in the form of Stephen Harper's former chief of staff, Nigel Wright.

In August, Wright testified he never told the then prime minister about the details of this deal with Duffy and that he felt he had an obligation to repay $90,000 of Duffy's contested expensesin the "public interest."

But it is fair to say that most of the backroom political intrigue has already been revealed by the Crown andby former Conservative PMO insiders and there may be very little left to expose on that front.

And perhaps, most critically, the political implications of the trial are no longer the same.

Harper is no more. His former chief of staff, Ray Novak, who may or may not have known some of the specifics of that $90,000 payment from Wright to Duffy, now works for Calgary MP Stephen Harper.

Indeed, noneof the major players in the trial currently hold any positions of political power in Ottawa. The election on Oct. 19 saw to that.

The man of the hour: Duffy himself

That is not to say the trial no longer matters.

Duffy's fate still hangs in the balance. He has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. And as his lawyer, Donald Bayne, likes to remind the court, Duffy's very freedom is what is at issue.

That may be true, but Bayne now has fewer tools at his disposal to secure that freedom. Who can forget the dramatic moment in April when Bayne entered into evidence an autographed photo of Harper and Duffy.

The photo read "To Duffy. A great journalist and a great senator. Thanks for being one of my hardest working appointments ever." It was signed by Stephen Harper.

The photo proved little, except perhaps the fact that Harper did value Duffy at some point during his time as senator.

In terms of dramatic effect, though, it reminded everyone that this case was playing out in a courtroom and in a political sphere where the damage could be just as serious for some.

But those theatrical props lose their value when one of the characters at the centre of the story is no longer prime minister.

Of course, we are still expecting to hear from Duffy himself.

Baynehas always said Duffy will testify on his own behalf and that could happen in the weeks ahead as the Crown wraps up its case and the focusshifts to the defence.

The suspended senator has been anxious to tell his story from the beginning and given his flairfor storytelling, he will undoubtedly draw crowds and attention.

And maybe, just maybe, Duffy has kept political secrets to be used for his own testimony, although we have seen no evidence this is the case to date.

Other senators still hang in the balance

But beyond the drama, or lack thereof, there is another group of people who will keep a close eye on what is left of the proceedings:

That group includes thesenators who have been charged and are facing trial (Patrick Brazeau and Mac Harb),asenator who isstill being investigated (Pamela Wallin),to say nothing of the othersenators who were audited this past year by the auditor general, some of whom have had their files passed on to the RCMP.

When Justice Vaillancourt finally rules on Duffy's fate, he may also have a judgment on the way the Senate does its business.

That verdict may further influence some of the changes the Red Chamber has already begun in its bid to reform and clean its own house.

But from a purely political point of view, it is hard to imagine how the Duffy trial could do more damage than it has already done. And it is even harder to imagine how that could happen given the current upheaval in the nation's capital.