Former senator Don Meredith found not guilty of sexual assault, criminal harassment

Senator Don Meredith seen during an interview in Toronto, Thursday, March 16, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel

Former Conservative senator Don Meredith was found not guilty on all counts in an Ottawa courtroom this morning.

Meredith was charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of criminal harassment.

Police said the charges related to allegations made by an adult woman about incidents in 2013 and 2014.

Meredith is an ordained minister who was appointed to the Senate by former prime minister Stephen Harper in 2010.

He resigned in 2017 after the Senate’s ethics officer reported he had violated the chamber’s code of ethics by engaging in a relationship with a girl when she was just 16.

After the verdict today, Meredith thanked his family and lawyer, saying a cloud had been lifted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2025.