Former PMO aide Bruce Carson awaits trial date for influence-peddling charge

OTTAWA – Lawyers for former prime ministerial aide Bruce Carson will be in court next week to determine the length of his trial.

They will appear in the Ottawa courthouse Sept. 18 to determine the number of days to allocate for the trial and they will return on Sept. 23 to set the start date.

Carson — whose trial has been delayed over surgery for possible lung cancer — was not at the courthouse.

The RCMP says Carson — once a senior adviser to Stephen Harper — is alleged to have accepted a commission for a third party in connection with a business matter relating to the federal government.

Carson is charged with one count of fraud on the government, also known as influence peddling, contrary to the Criminal Code.

The Prime Minister’s Office asked the RCMP to investigate Carson amid allegations he illegally lobbied the federal government on behalf of a company that employed his girlfriend.