Most Canadians have come to expect a certain level of hypocrisy from their politicians, but the current Senate scandal involving Duffy, Wallin, and Brazeau, three of the many Harper-appointed Senators have exposed this hypocrisy in spades.
Led by Conservative Senator Don Plett some Conservative Senators have suddenly become aware of the importance of due process. Conservative Senator Hugh Segal even made reference to the foundation of modern law; the Magna Carta in saying the Senate motion to suspend the three Harper Senators was “riding roughshod over due process and presumption of innocence.” Liberal Senator Romeo Dallaire put it more bluntly calling it “shotgun justice.”
I would have more sympathy if I had not sat in Senator Plett’s Ottawa office while he tried to humiliate and demean a dozen young western farmers who were there at their own expense to remind the good Senator the law required that farmers have a vote on killing the Canadian Wheat Board.
A few weeks later, along with other farmers, I testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee and pointed out that a just-released Federal court ruling on the issue had confirmed farmers had a right to vote on the changes to the CWB and the Senate should suspend the legislation until the legal issues were resolved.
After all, due process and Canadian tradition dictated that the Senate should respect the Federal Court ruling, but there was to be no due process for farmers or their Canadian Wheat Board. The following week Senator Plett and his cronies rubber stamped the Harper legislation killing the Canadian Wheat Board.
So while there should be due process for Senators with dubious expense claims and the elected politicians and officials who apparently have run interference for them, readers can forgive this farmer for observing that it looks like due process is only important to some Conservatives if one is connected to the Senate.