The Speaker of the Senate has sent the section of the auditor general’s audit dealing with nine senators’ questionable expense cases to the RCMP for a formal investigation, CTV News has learned.
Auditor General Michael Ferguson handed his highly-anticipated report to the Board of Internal Economy last week.
The audit, which cost taxpayers $21 million, will name 30 current and former senators who are said to owe the Upper Chamber nearly $1 million in combined expenses. While the portion of the report dealing with the nine most troubling cases has already been sent to the RCMP, the 64 pages dealing with the other 21 senators will not be sent to the Mounties.
CTV News has also learned the names of 29 of the 30 senators who will be named in the audit next week; 17 are sitting senators, while the other 12 are retired. The list consists of 15 Conservatives -- eight of whom were appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper – 13 who were appointed as Liberals, and one independent senator.
SITTING SENATORS
• Nicole Eaton (appointed by Stephen Harper)
• Jean-Guy Dagenais (appointed by Harper)
• Janis Johnson (appointed by Brian Mulroney)
• Pana Merchant (appointed by Jean Chretien)
• Terry Mercer (appointed by Chretien)
• Sandra Lovelace Nicholas (appointed by Paul Martin)
• Dennis Patterson (appointed by Harper)
• Don Plett (appointed by Harper)
• Nancy Greene (appointed by Harper)
• Nick Sibbeston (appointed by Chretien)
• David Tkachuk (appointed by Mulroney)
• Colin Kenny (appointed by Pierre Elliott Trudeau)
• Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu (appointed by Harper)
• James Cowan (appointed by Martin)
• Claude Carignan (appointed by Harper)
• Leo Housakos (appointed by Harper)
• Elaine McCoy (appointed by Martin)
RETIRED SENATORS
• Gerry St. Germain (appointed by Mulroney)
• Noel Kinsella (appointed by Mulroney)
• Don Oliver (appointed by Mulroney)
• Sharon Carstairs (appointed by Chretien)
• Rose-Marie Losier-Cool (appointed by Chretien)
• Bill Rompkey (appointed by Chretien)
• Rod Zimmer (appointed by Martin)
• Marie-Paule Charette-Poulin (appointed by Chretien)
• Lowell Murray (appointed by Joe Clark)
• Robert Peterson (appointed by Martin)
• Vivienne Poy (appointed by Chretien)
• Terry Stratton (appointed by Mulroney)
As CTV News reported last week, three of the senators in question hold leadership roles in the Red Chamber -- Speaker Leo Housakos, Leader of the Government Claude Carignan and opposition leader James Cowan.
The audit will show that 30 senators are on the hook for allegedly filing $978,627 worth of questionable expenses, with five senators owing a combined $546,000. CTV News now knows the amount that four of the 30 senators are reported to owe:
• St. Germain - $55,000
• Kenny - $35,000
• Zimmer - $176,000
• Boisvenu – close $50,000
As CTV News reported Thursday, the nine senators now facing criminal investigation are Boisvenu, Kenny, Oliver, St. Germain, Carstairs, Losier-Cool, Rompkey, Zimmer and Charette-Poulin.
Boisvenu, who left the Conservative caucus on Thursday, and Kenny are the only sitting senators from that group.
Questions about the Senate scandal followed Harper all the way to Ukraine Saturday, where he held bilateral meetings with the country’s leaders. Harper emphasized the fact that “the Senate as an independent body” is “responsible for its own expenses, its own expense rules.”
“There are some serious cases of abuse that action has got to be taken on and other less serious matters are going to be dealt with through an arbitration process,” said Harper.
The Senate recently appointed former Supreme Court of Canada justice Ian Binnie as a special arbitrator for senators looking to dispute the report’s findings.
The recent details about the Senate audit have renewed calls for the abolishment of the Red Chamber, especially from the NDP. Speaking to CTV’s Question Period, Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair said he would consult the provinces on the abolishment of the Senate if elected.
“I’m convinced that with good faith, open approaches, we’re going to be able to get to solutions that will allow us to get rid of this archaic system which is called the Senate,” said Mulcair.
Former House of Commons clerk Rob Walsh said there is a need to rethink the Senate if it is to continue to serve its role as outlined in the Constitution.
“If you think there is a constitutional purpose served by the Senate, then let’s go back to the drawing boards and think about how we should appoint to the Senate and how we should reframe those duties,” said Walsh on Question Period.
Walsh said the question about the Senate’s role is legitimate, and one he hopes doesn’t fade away.
Note: An earlier version of this story contained a video report misidentifying former senator Rod Zimmer's party affiliation. He was an appointee of Paul Martin's Liberal government.
With a report by CTV Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief Laurie Graham
