After weeks of debates, and despite calls for due process, three senators were suspended by Canada’s upper chamber, the Senate, Tuesday night (November 5) in a series of motions backed by the ruling Conservative Party which has a majority in the Senate, as well as in the House of Commons.
All three are former Conservative government senators and were accused of misusing expenses.
The ruling government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been attacked for months by the opposition parties demanding to know what role the Prime Minister had in trying to cover up a deal with one of the three senators involved, Senator Mike Duffy.
Last May, news that the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Nigel Wright had written a personal cheque for Duffy to cover contested expenses was first explained by the PM as an understandable gesture by Wright. Then when Wright resigned, the Prime Minister insisted this was something that should not have happened, that he did not know about it, and would have stopped the payment of the cheque, if he’d known about it.
Since then questions have been raised about how many people knew about the cheque in the Prime Minister’s office. In recent days, the number who apparently knew, has risen dramatically, while the Prime Minister insists he was not made aware of it.
In the Senate debate on the suspensions, some Conservative senators broke rank with their party, arguing for due process to determine whether in fact the three were guilty, before suspending them.
There are now police investigations into the case, and those of the two other senators suspended Tuesday, Patrick Brazeau and Pamela Wallin.
More information:
CBC News – Senate votes to suspend Brazeau, Duffy, Wallin – here
Globe and Mail – Senators’ suspensions reveal rifts in Conservative ranks – here
CBC News – Senate suspensions don’t break opposition resolve to attack PM – here
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