Former London mayor Joe Fontana gets four month conditional sentence, 18-months probation

Former London mayor Joe Fontana has been handed a four month conditional sentence under house arrest and 18 months probation.

The embattled former Liberal MP was convicted last month for uttering forged documents, fraud and breach of trust in relation to a 2005 incident when he, as a federal cabinet minister, is believed to have billed taxpayers $1,700 for his son's wedding reception.

According to the Canadian Press, the crown had asked for a four to six month sentence while Fontana's lawyers recommended probation and a fine.

Fontana -- who resigned as mayor after his conviction in June -- also had the opportunity to address the judge prior to sentencing.

"Nine years ago I did something very, very stupid, very, very, very wrong," he said, according to CP.

"I made a big, big mistake. What's ensued since then is I've disgraced my family, my mother and father, who gave me an opportunity and spoke to me about always giving back, and my wife, my kids, my friends, my community and city and country and the very institutions that I've always respected — especially this one."

Instant reaction, on social media, suggests that the public doesn't think the punishment is enough.

While the common refrain is that 'politicians can get away with anything', there have been some recent high profile examples of Canadian politicians who have actually received jail time for a maleficence while in office.

Senator Raymond Lavigne:

In 2011, former Liberal senator Raymond Lavigne was convicted of fraud and breach of trust for inflated mileage claims and for using Senate staff for personal chores like chopping down trees at his home.

He served 6 months in jail and was ordered to pay $10,000 to a charity.

He quit the Senate before his fellow senators could kick him out thereby saving his pension.

[ Related: Convicted politicians shouldn't get their pensions, taxpayer advocate argues ]

According to the Globe and Mail, Lavigne — who was also a MP -- now earns a taxpayer funded pension of approximately $80,000/year.

The Nova Scotia four:

In 2010 in Nova Scotia, as part of a major expense scandal investigation, four politicians were found to have falsified receipts and forged documents.

According to CBC News, Liberal MLA Dave Wilson served four months of a nine month sentence in jail for submitting "36 false expense receipts using five people's names — including his niece and brother-in-law —totalling $60,995."

Former MLA Trevor Zinc was sentenced to four months in jail. According to the Chronicle Herald, he was sentenced to four months in prison for falsely claiming approximately $9,000 in constituency expenses.

As also explained by CBC News, former cabinet minister Robert Hurlburt was sentenced to 12 months house arrest after he pleaded guilty to fraud and breach of trust, in part, for claiming $3,500 for a big-screen TV that ended up in his home. He did pay back to money but still served the time.

And, in 2013, former MLA Russell MacKinnon was sentenced to four months house arrest after he pleaded guilty to a charge of breach of trust.

Eric Bernston:

In 2001, Progressive Conservative Senator Eric Burntson was found guilty of making $42,000 in false expense claims from his days in Saskatchewan's Grant Devine government.

His conviction was part of a wider 1990s investigation into misuse of caucus funds.

Berston — along with several other MLAs — was sentenced with jail time.

Quebec mayors:

While there haven't been any convictions yet, there have been some high profile arrests with regard to the investigation into corruption in the province of Quebec.

Last May, former Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt was arrested in relation to the ongoing Quebec corruption inquiry into public contracts with that province's construction industry.

Former Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum was forced from office, last year after being charged with 14 criminal offences involving fraud and corruption. As explained by the Toronto Star, the charges are in relation to "suspicious real estate deals in the west-end borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, where he had previously served as borough mayor since 2002."

Both men deny any wrong doing and have not been convicted in a court of law.

The arrests, however, prove that law enforcement officials are not afraid to investigate and go after allegedly corrupt politicians.

(Photo courtesy The Canadian Press)

Are you a politics junkie?
Follow @politicalpoints on Twitter!