Canada PoliticsSen. Wallin’s lawyer says his client may sue
With all that's happened in the past couple of weeks, no one should be surprised to learn that Senators Pamela Wallin, Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau aren't going way quietly.
The morning after the Senate voted to temporarily turf the trio from the upper chamber, Wallin's lawyer is suggesting that his client may sue.
"We are considering [legal options]," O'Sullivan told CBC Newswith regard to his client who is alleged to have claimed over $140,000 in inappropriately taxpayer-funded travel expenses.
"One of our concerns of course is that the senator was denied due process in terms of the hearing. She was suspended from the Senate without any of her evidence being put before the Senate. We filed three volumes of evidence with Deloitte. The Senate was never given the opportunity to review that evidence. There was no calling of witnesses. There was none of the other trappings of what would be a proper hearing for anyone whose job is being taken away whether it was yours or mine.
"We believe the Charter of Rights and [Freedoms] does apply to the Senate proceeding. The Senate majority leader and the prime minister says that they're above the law, that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms doesn't apply and that's what we're looking at."
O'Sullivan added that any potential law suit would be an attempt to reverse Tuesday's suspension.
"Natural justice was not followed and no opportunity for a full hearing," he said.
[ Related: Senators Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau suspended from the Senate but scandal continues ]
The suspensions came, late Tuesday afternoon, despite impassioned pleas by all three senators who claimed that they did nothing wrong.
The vote to suspend means that they'll go without pay, but with health benefits, for the rest of the parliamentary session which will likely last until the next federal election in the fall of 2015.
But, as explained by the Canadian Press, taxpayers could still be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars for many years.
At least one of the trio, Duffy, may still be eligible for a disability allowance should he resign for medical reasons.
And although none of the three will be allowed to sit in the Senate, keep their offices, employ staff or conduct any Senate work for the duration of their suspensions, their time in political purgatory may still count toward the six years of service needed to be eligible for a generous parliamentary pension.
The disability allowance, as explained by CP, is available to any member of parliament "who is 65 or older and incapacitated by a proven medical condition, is entitled to receive a disability allowance equal to 70 per cent of his or her annual salary — a comfortable $94,640 per year."
As of Wednesday morning, it's unclear whether or not Duffy will be entitled to this.
[ Related: Suspended Duffy, Wallin, Brazeau may not be entirely off public payroll ]
Wallin, Duffy and Brazeau will also continue to cost taxpayers money with the ongoing RCMP investigations and, if charged, for criminal court proceedings.
Don't put that calculator away just yet.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters)
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