Watch the video above: “The senators are not the story, Stephen Harper is the story,” says Mulcair
The vote may be done, but NDP leader Tom Mulcair says the real Senate scandal is far from over.
On Tuesday, Senators Pamela Wallin, Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau were suspended from the Senate over allegations of improper expense claims.
READ MORE: Senate suspends Wallin, Duffy, Brazeau
After nine days of debate in the red chamber, the majority Tory senators voted to suspend the three former Conservatives – all appointees of Prime Minister Stephen Harper – leaving them jobless and without pay for the remainder of current parliamentary session (which could continue for two years).
The suspended senators have maintained that they’re victims of a witch hunt aimed at shutting down the expenses scandal that sent shockwaves through Ottawa for almost a year.
“The senators are not the story,” Mulcair told reporters after the NDP’s caucus meeting Wednesday. “Stephen Harper is the story. His senators. He named them.
“Stephen Harper swore to Canadians that he would never name an unelected senator – he’s named 59,” Mulcair added.
Watch the video below: Harper and Mulcair trade barbs in question period
Meanwhile, the NDP continues its fight to close down the Senate altogether. Mulcair says he fully supports Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall’s push to abolish the Senate.
READ MORE: Premier Wall to introduce motion calling for Senate to be abolished
“Our goal is to get rid of the unelected, unaccountable, undemocratic, under-indictment Senate – period,” Mulcair said.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau called on Harper to “come clean” on the Senate scandal.
“What the three senators in question did was wrong, and we shouldn’t be defending them,” Trudeau told reporters Tuesday, “but at the same time what Mr. Harper has done is wrong in trying to cover up and hide and avoid actual accountability on this issue.”
Trudeau said that many Canadians are outraged by the Senate scandal and want answers from the Harper government.
On Tuesday Liberal MP Ralph Goodale introduced a motion that would compel Harper to testify under oath what he knows about the repayment of Duffy’s expenses (a motion which is not expected to pass).
“I’m calling upon Conservative MPs to vote tonight with their constituents to allow the prime minister to testify under oath at the ethics committee so that Canadians, including Conservative Canadians, across the country who have expressed their outrage to me, get the answers they need.”
Harper’s office expressed satisfaction with Tuesday’s suspensions, which followed weeks of explosive debate and allegations from Duffy that implicated the PMO and repeated grilling in the House of Commons by opposition MPs.
“Removing these three senators from the public payroll was the right thing to do,” the PMO said in a statement. “They should not be collecting a public paycheque.”
While Tuesday night’s vote marks the end of debate in the upper chamber, many questions remain unanswered surrounding the three senators who went from handpicked allies to political liabilities for the Harper government.
The RCMP is investigating all three senators, along with former Liberal senator Mac Harb, for fraudulent expense claims. Information continues to emerge as investigators file court documents in pursuit of evidence.
Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s audit of all the senators’ expense claims could also turn up more revelations and implications of wrongdoing – which could lead to more sanctions.
With files from Global News’ Amy Minsky and The Canadian Press
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