Fate of Senators to be decided

Although the Upper Chamber doesn’t usually sit on Fridays, its making an exception today to attempt to make some headway on a debate over a motion to suspend three Senators.

This has turned into a marathon debate over whether Senators Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau should be suspended without pay and benefits.

The Conservatives are pushing for a vote on the motion to take places as soon as the middle of next week.

The Senators allegedly fraudulently claimed senate housing allowances and living expenses. The Conservative motion now on the table, would set a timetable for a vote on all the suspensions and any proposed amendments at one time.

Thursday’s session, which dragged on until midnight, shows increasing signs of a split in the Conservative caucus over the motions.

Conservative Senator Don Plett called the motions premature and says he won’t support them.

The opposition in the House of Commons is focusing their fight on the Prime Minister. NDP leader Tom Mulcair says Harper knew about a $90,000 payoff of Senator Mike Duffy’s inappropriate expense claims.

Muclair says, “after firing Nigel Wright the Prime Minister told Canadians in this house that absolutely no one else, not a few, no one else knew about the deal between Duffy and Wright. Now he admits that top Conservatives actually did know about the scheme, but they kept him in the dark knowingly and they allowed him to make false statements, but if that’s true, why didn’t he fire any of them?”

Harper retaliated, “Once again Mr Speaker, I addressed that issue months ago. Mr wright made this decision. He has been very clear he informed very few people, and it was his own decision and his own initiative… any insinuation that I knew, or would have known, is incorrect. As soon as I knew, I made this information available to the public and took the appropriate action.”

Meanwhile, the Harper government is playing down a Quebec court ruling that’s throwing another wrench in its plan to reform the Senate.

Quebec’s Appeal Court says Ottawa has no right to establish Senate elections and set term limits without seeking provincial approval. The government, however, says the verdict that counts is the one the Supreme Court of Canada will deliver.

The Supreme Court holds hearings on the rules for reforming the Upper Chamber starting next month.