Nigel S. Wright

Nigel Stewart Wright (May 18, 1963 – September 30, 2025) was a Canadian businessman, lawyer, and political aide. He served as the thirteenth chief of staff to the Prime Minister of Canada, from September 2010 to May 2013, and was a senior managing director in the London office of Onex Corporation. Wright left the prime minister's office after it was reported that he had used his own money to permit senator Mike Duffy to repay the government for housing expenses that were the subject of media and political controversy.

Early life Nigel Stewart Wright was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on May 18, 1963. He was adopted, and raised by parents to work hard since they were not wealthy. Wright was the son of an engineering technician, raised in Burlington, and spent some time growing up in England. At college, Wright was a campus activist for Brian Mulroney and co-founded The University of Toronto Magazine; as editor, he emerged as an admirer of Margaret Thatcher. Wright went on to earn an LLB with honours at the University of Toronto Law School in 1988 and an LLM at Harvard Law School.

Personal faith As a young man, Wright contemplated joining the Anglican priesthood. According to journalist Geoff Stevens, people who knew Wright from his work at St. Thomas's Anglican Church say he was "a straight arrow, honourable and committed to public service".

Wright served as sub-deacon and warden of the Anglican Church of Canada, and was a proponent of the Anglo-Catholic movement, which asserts the Catholic roots of Anglicanism. a director of Spirit Holdings in February 2005. a director of Res-Care from June 2004 to November 7, 2006.

Politics Involved in conservative politics from his days in college, Wright gravitated between the Progressive Conservative and Reform parties for years, trying to draft Stephen Harper to unite the then-divided right-wing forces. Investigators were told that it cost him tens of thousands of dollars but, thanks to his corporate career, he could afford it and that Wright held the belief that taxpayers should not bear the cost of his position if he was able legitimately to fund it himself.

In the Hill Times annual ranking of the top 100 Most Influential People in Government and Politics, Wright placed sixth in 2012. In Maclean's 25 Most important People in Ottawa, he placed fifth in 2012.

Senate expense scandal

Wright wrote a personal cheque of $90,172 to senator Mike Duffy, so that he could repay the cost of residency expenses. At the time, Duffy was under intense media pressure over these expenses. A Conservative Party spokesperson confirmed the money was a gift from Wright, with no expectation of repayment. The ethics commissioner confirmed that the office was investigating Wright for his repayment of these expenses. Wright then left government service. On October 28, 2013, Harper stated in an interview that Wright did not resign, but was in fact dismissed.

On April 15, 2014, the RCMP dropped its nearly year-long investigation into Wright, saying "the evidence gathered does not support criminal charges against Mr. Wright." The RCMP would later lay 31 charges on Duffy on July 17, 2014.; Duffy was exonerated of all 31 charges on April 21, 2016, and Wright's actions were condemned by justice Charles Vaillancourt as "mindboggling and shocking [...] in the context of a democratic society".

Death Wright died of heart failure at home in London, England, on September 30, 2025, at age 62.