Growing call for Senators to resign
Posted Jun 3, 2013 07:08:30 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA, Ont. – There are growing calls for Senators like Mike Duffy, Patrick Brazeau and Pamela Wallin to resign their seats in the upper chamber, in response to the ongoing Senate expense scandal.
However, resignations are unlikely.
Since Canada became a country, only 18 of 933 Senators have been forced to quit due to a scandal. Some had a conflict of interest, others refused to show up to work for a whole year, and a few were convicted of fraud.
“Why would you resign really?” said Aaron Wherry with MacLean’s Magazine. “You can sit there and collect a paycheque and no one can do anything about it.”
The rules state there are only five ways a Senator can be kicked out of office:
-Not showing up for two consecutive sessions
-Swearing allegiance to a foreign power
-Going bankrupt
-Failing to meet residency requirements
-Being convicted of an infamous crime like treason
Even with those offences, there is a long process involved. If a senator resigns before they’re ejected, they are entitled to their full lucrative pensions.
