For the first time in it's history, the Senate may vote to expel a sitting member.
Embattled Senator Don Meredith, a 52-year old Pentecostal minister from Richmond Hill, was involved in an two-year extra-marital relationship with a minor, with whom he may have engaged in sexual intercourse before she turned 18 – Meredith denies this. She was 16 years old when the relationship began, apparently in the form of "flirtatious online chatting" (see here). He did not face criminal charges (see here).
On Tuesday, the Senate Ethics Committee recommended that he be expelled (see the official report here). This was an unprecedented step in the Canadian context – so uncharted was this path, that the committee, in fact, had to establish whether it even had the authority to do so. As explained by the Globe and Mail, "The committee ultimately accepted the legal opinion ... that the Constitution confers on the upper house the same privileges enjoyed by the United Kingdom's House of Commons. Since the U.K. Commons can permanently eject a member, so too can Canada's Senate."
As unprecedented as this is, the recommendation also echoed the many calls for his resignation, repeated since the allegations first came to light. Apologetic, and characterizing his conduct as "a moral failing" (see here), Senator Meredith sought a lesser penalty – a one or two year suspension without pay. The committee was less than receptive. He has refused to resign throughout. That decision, however, is now all but out of his hands.
The recommendations followed a scathing Inquiry Report submitted earlier this year, on March 9, by Senate Ethics Officer Lyse Ricard. Her report concluded that,
in 2014 and 2015, Senate (sic) Meredith had carried on an improper sexual relationship with a teenager (referred as Ms. M in the Inquiry Report), and had thereby breached section 7.1 of the [Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators] by failing to uphold the highest standards of dignity inherent to the position of senator and acting in a way that reflected adversely on the position of senator and the institution of the Senate.
The Senator will now be given five sitting days to respond to the recommended expulsion.
For many, any explanation Mr. Meredith might offer will fall on deaf ears. The young woman was a university student in Ottawa. Her parents lived in an unidentified country abroad, and her only family in the country was a brother. The National Post's Christie Blatchford described the young woman as "the very definition of at-risk youth", concluding that "[e]xpelling him should take mere minutes." Given the deeply troubling details Blatchford offers about the Senator's conduct, many will have trouble disagreeing (see here).
Stay tuned for updates on the Senate's ultimate decision.
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