OTTAWA – A Conservative senator who has been outspoken in real life and online has gone silent on Twitter after confronting two reporters over stories critical of his time in the Senate, and a controversial court case.
Senator Patrick Brazeau wasn’t in the Senate Friday afternoon when senators approved two government bills – C-38 and C-11 – and he was equally absent from the social media website Twitter with his account apparently deleted.
His last tweet was posted Wednesday night.
Neither the government nor opposition leader in the Senate would comment directly on the situation Friday during a live television interview.
“It is a difficult situation for all senators when this happens,” Senator Marjory LeBreton, the government leader in the Senate, told the CBC’s Power and Politics. “Obviously I’m hopeful that Senator Brazeau will deal with some of the issues that he has to deal with and we’ll put this behind us.”
Brazeau landed himself in controversy earlier this week after telling Canadian Press reporter Jennifer Ditchburn that she should switch the ‘D’ in her last name to a ‘B’ over a story about Brazeau’s attendance record.
According to the Canadian Press report, the 37-year-old Brazeau missed about one-quarter of Senate sittings,
“While u smile Jen, others suffer. Change the D to a B in your last name and we’re even! Don’t mean it but needs saying,” Brazeau tweeted at Ditchburn.
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He subsequently apologized for the tweet.
Brazeau then confronted APTN reporter Jorge Barrera over a story about a civil court case involving allegations of impropriety that predated Brazeau’s time in the Senate. The allegations have not been proven in court.
“My experience and I agree, most senators take their jobs very seriously,” Senator James Cowan, the Liberal leader in the Senate, told the CBC. “We do take attendance so you can see when senators are in the chamber.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Brazeau to the Senate in 2008, making him the third-youngest person ever named to the Senate and the 15th aboriginal senator.
He was an avid Twitter user, tweeting often about political issues and even hockey, particularly the Montreal Canadiens. However, he also confronted users he felt were slighting him online, and engaged in heated political debates, including over aboriginal issues.
Brazeau had his name in headlines and stories earlier this year for taking on Liberal MP Justin Trudeau in a charity boxing match. The two traded jabs in the ring and on Twitter before the match.
Brazeau ultimately lost to Trudeau, and followed through on a pre-fight bet to cut his hair and wear a Liberal jersey into the Senate.
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