Barrett's confirmation on Monday was hardly in doubt, with majority Republicans mostly united in support behind U.S. President Donald Trump's pick.

Sen. Mike Duffy is filing an appeal to the country's top court in the hopes the Supreme Court of Canada will let him sue the Senate from a years-old spending scandal.

The decision comes more than a year after a Senate investigation found a pattern of inappropriate behaviour by then-senator Don Meredith.

Frustration over the Senate's failure to find a way to resume full operations in the midst of the pandemic prompted some senators Wednesday to block an initial attempt to speed Bill C-4 through the chamber.

Senators will not begin debating the legislation until Friday, barring further holdups.

Lawyer Brian Mitchell said the decision to provide compensation is positive but he remains concerned about the way the entire incident has been handled.

An investigation concluded that Meredith had repeatedly bullied, threatened and intimidated his staff, and that he had also touched, kissed and propositioned some of them.

Duffy was suspended without pay for nearly two years over the Senate expenses scandal, for which he was ultimately acquitted of 31 criminal charges in 2016.

On Wednesday, Sen. Kim Pate joined Green Party parliamentary leader Elizabeth May and Fredericton Green MP Jenica Atwin at a news conference on Parliament Hill.

Last year, an investigation by the Senate's ethics officer found Meredith repeatedly harassed and sexually harassed multiple employees, including with bullying, intimidation, kissing and touching.