The indefinite suspension of three Senators by the Senate of
Canada is a harsh and unprecedented decision.
The Senate cast a wide net to punish three Senators they believed
violated various rules of the Senate.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed all three of the suspended
Senators. In my view, he unnecessarily
injected himself into this scandalous affair pushing hard on the Senate to
suspend three Senators he appointed.
Senate appointments are the purest form of political patronage where no
qualifications are required of anyone appointed to such a highly paid and
prestigious position.
Rights and Freedoms under the Constitution of Canada, Rule
of Law, and common sense apparently were disregarded entirely in the suspension
of three Senators. The citizens of
Canada had no evidence, other than media reports, to conclude these three
Senators were all guilty and the same punishment for different alleged
violations of questionable rules of the Senate is appropriate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and most of
his supporters read the public opinion polls and suspended three Senators
indefinitely without pay or any form of recourse. Banning the Senators from Parliament Hill is hard to justify.
I do not know that the suspended Senators were all equally
guilty of all the allegations and nor does the public. It is reasonable to suspect these three
Senators made mistakes, but the punishment is excessive based on suspect
without clear proof. This would never
happen in a court of law. Politicians,
Senators, and the public must have equal access to due legal process in
Canada. Canadians need to ponder that
notion out of fear of finding themselves in the same situation as these three
suspended Senators.
