Toronto senator’s new lawyer says he will defend his client without resorting to racial politics
By John Paul Tasker, CBC News Posted: Mar 23, 2017 4:10 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 23, 2017 4:10 PM ET
The Senate’s ethics committee met to review the case against embattled Senator Don Meredith on Wednesday. His sexual relationship with a teen has prompted near universal calls for his resignation. (Colin Perkel/Canadian Press)
John Paul Tasker
Senator Don Meredith no longer feels he was targeted by the Senate’s ethics officer because he is a black man, his newly appointed lawyer says.
Only a week after characterizing Lyse Ricard’s two-year investigation as having a racist element, Meredith is now taking a different tack, as he continues his fight to sit in the Red Chamber after having a sexual relationship with a teenage girl.
“Senator Meredith doesn’t feel this whole issue, including the Senate’s approach, is racially motivated,” his new lawyer, Bill Trudell, said in an interview Thursday.
Meredith said just last week, “Absolutely, racism has played a role in this,” adding it was “nothing new to me. There is always a double standard [for black men] that exists in this country.”
In a thinly veiled swipe at Meredith’s former lawyer, Selwyn Pieters, Trudell said he’ll try to defend Meredith, and his conduct, without resorting to racial politics.
“I think that is a position I would not advance, it doesn’t address the issue. It’s not something that will be addressed here,” he said in an interview with Rosemary Barton on CBC’s Power & Politics.
“Senator Meredith has made a serious mistake, but I firmly believe that everyone is bigger than his worst mistake, and I’m going to work hard to turn the temperature down and find a resolution as soon as possible,” Trudell said, adding his client had used that defence “because he is under a lot of stress.”
Pieters had said Meredith was being portrayed as a “sexual predator” because he is an imposing black man. He said Caucasian senators have conducted equally questionable behaviour and yet still hold on to their seats in what he called the “Rogue Chamber.”
Ethics committee considers sanctions
Members of the Senate’s ethics committee met Wednesday behind closed doors to begin the process of formally sanctioning the Toronto-area senator for actions that have been called “disgusting” by fellow parliamentarians.
Meredith could face a number of punishments for breaching the ethics code, including suspension without pay. Some senators are so determined to remove him from the Red Chamber, they are considering an outright expulsion, something Meredith’s new lawyer is hoping to avoid.
Trudell said he will be consulting with constitutional experts to ascertain whether the Senate can expel his client.
Meredith, a 52-year-old Pentecostal pastor, was appointed as a Conservative senator by former prime minister Stephen Harper in 2010 before becoming a member of the Independent Senators Group (ISG).
He denies many of the allegations levelled against him by the woman in question — who is identified as “Ms. M” in the ethics report detailing the case — but has said he had sexual intercourse with her on at least one occasion when she was over 18.
Ricard’s report found that Meredith violated two sections of the code of ethics, namely that he did not uphold the highest standards of dignity inherent to his position, and that his actions reflect adversely on the institution of the Senate.
Ottawa police investigated the matter but dropped the case without pressing criminal charges.
“A breach of the code by any one senator reflects adversely on the Senate and all senators and affects the ability of the Senate and all senators to carry out their functions,” members of the ethics committee said in a statement released after their meeting.
“The committee will continue its consideration of the [ethics report] over the coming days and intends to report its recommendations to the Senate as promptly as circumstances permit.”
Under the Senate’s own rules, Meredith must be given the opportunity to appear before the body at some point to mount a defence of his behaviour.
Source: CBC news
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Don Meredith says ‘racism has played a role’ in his sex scandal
Senator says he is taking a leave of absence from the Senate but is not ready to resign seat
The Canadian Press Posted: Mar 16, 2017 4:47 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 17, 2017 1:08 AM ET
Senator Don Meredith says he is not ready to resign from the Senate over his relationship with a teenage girl and is currently considering his options. (CBC)
Embattled Senator Don Meredith begged forgiveness for his “moral failing” over his sexual relationship with a teenager but said Thursday he was not ready to resign.
Speaking out for the first time since a damning ethics report, Meredith told The Canadian Press he was taking a leave of absence from the Senate on the advice of his doctor, and would be considering his options in the coming days and weeks.
“This is a moral failing on my part,” a grim-faced Meredith said in a wide-ranging interview, with his wife Michelle quietly at his side. “As a human being, I made a grave error in judgment, in my interactions. For that I am deeply sorry.”
Meredith, 52, repeatedly apologized to his wife, children, his fellow senators and “all Canadians” for the relationship that took place with the woman known only as Ms. M.
His wife and children have forgiven him, he said, and he asked for the same forgiveness from his Senate colleagues and Ms. M herself.
“I believe in the power of forgiveness and reconciliation,” he said as his Toronto lawyer looked on. “We’re humans, and humans make mistakes.”
Meredith’s wife did not wish to speak publicly about the allegations and the senator refused to answer if he’d had other affairs.
A chorus of voices has called on Meredith to step down amid questions of whether the Senate has the power to force him to do so. Senate sources have said they believe the upper chamber does have the power to expel a senator and declare the seat vacant, and do so by a simple majority vote.
The six-year Ontario senator said he hoped his contrition should be enough to assuage those who have been calling for him to step down. At the same time, he said, he believed there were no legal grounds to fire him.
Grounds for removal?
Meredith’s lawyer, Selwyn Pieters, said the Constitution only allows for the removal of someone convicted of a felony, too many missed sessions, bankruptcy or treason.
“Taken at its highest, the allegation against Senator Meredith is a moral failing, it’s not a legal failing,” Pieters said.
Disgraced Senator Don Meredith’s explanation, in his own words:
This is a moral failing on my part towards my family, my wife, my children who support me. And I will go forward from this day. I’ll go forward from this incident.
I am currently, on the advice of my doctors, on a medical leave. A report has just come out that has detrimental impact upon me as a human being, my family, as human beings.
I believe that it was my right to consider all options that are available to me and that’s exactly what I plan to do, making no rushed depictions or rushed conclusions.
With anyone, any individual, any Canadian, you have to take time to seek counsel, to seek advice, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.
To my family, to Ms. M, to my colleagues in the Senate, to all Canadians, I deeply regret this. And I’m deeply sorry. And I apologize from the bottom of my heart, and I ask their forgiveness. And for us to be able to reconcile. Because I believe in reconciliation and forgiveness. Thank you.
Last week, a scathing report from Senate ethics officer Lyse Ricard said Meredith failed to uphold the “highest standards of dignity inherent to the position of senator” and had acted in a way that could damage the Senate itself. Ricard also ruled Meredith had used his position as senator improperly and that he violated the Red Chamber’s ethics code.
The report said Meredith had sexual relations with a woman once before she turned 18, and twice after she turned 18, and also had explicit online chats with her. Meredith acknowledged the sexual relations in the report but said it only happened after she turned 18.
‘Racism has played a role’
The senator said Wednesday he believes he has been the victim of racism since the allegations about his affair first surfaced in the summer of 2015. Where individuals of colour rise, he said, somehow they’re taken down — whether it’s “self-inflicted or orchestrated.”
“Absolutely, racism has played a role in this,” Meredith said. “This is nothing new to me. There is always a double standard that exists in this country.”
Pieters said his client was being portrayed as a “sexual predator” because he is an imposing black man — but that clearly was not the case.
Meredith, an ordained minister and father of two, was adamant there was no criminal case against him. While Ms. M has said that she declined to press charges to protect her identity, Meredith called that “hearsay.”
“I’ve broken no laws, and I want all Canadians to understand that.”
Report coming
Senate insiders have said they expect the ethics committee to deliver its report on March 28, the first day back from a two-week break. But both Meredith and his lawyer said they he had a right to speak to the report and defend himself as a matter of procedural fairness.
He said he would likely hold a media conference in the next several days.
“I believe that it is my right to consider all options that are available to me and that’s exactly what I plan to do, making no rush decisions,” he said, adding he wanted time to seek advice. “I deeply regret this.”
In a letter this week, New Democrat MP Nathan Cullen accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of “falling short” in bringing accountability to the Senate. Cullen called for new rules on removing senators who violate ethical standards.
Fellow Senator Lillian Dyck says Meredith’s actions reflect badly on the Senate and he should consider resigning.
“Like many other senators, I am really appalled at what he’s done. It’s an appalling situation,” she said. “I can’t imagine why he would want to come back to the Senate.”
Source: CBC News