In his first news conference since the Crown dropped fraud and breach of trust charges against him, Senator Patrick Brazeau said his suspension from the Senate over his expense claims was the result of a politically motivated Red Chamber dominated by Conservative appointees.
Brazeau, himself a Tory appointee, pointed out that since he was cleared by the Deloitte audit of his expense claims in the Senate, and the charges of fraud and breach of trust were eventually dropped by the Crown, it should be clear to all Canadians that he did nothing wrong.
“Why is it that the Senate, that had a Conservative majority at the time of my suspension, decided differently?” Brazeau asked in French. “They decided differently from the legislation, so was it a political decision?”
“I paid a hefty price for that, so someone has to be accountable for the answers to my questions, because there will be those questions coming in future.”
Brazeau said that he went almost three years without being paid over the accusations looming over him, and he and his lawyers were considering “all options” with respect to getting some or all of those lost wages back.
“What happened to me was unjust and somebody needs to be held accountable,” Brazeau told reporters gathered in his Senate office today.
Brazeau also spoke about his legal and personal problems since the expense scandal in the Senate began and how he feels about finally being back at work.
“In the last couple of years it’s been an emotional roller-coaster for me personally and professionally,” he said. “This is a happy moment for myself and my family, now it’s time to move on, a different chapter and time to get back to the work that I loved and continue to love.”
Brazeau and three other senators were initially singled out by the Senate for questionable expense claims.
Brazeau was charged with fraud and breach of trust but those charges were withdrawn by the Crown Wednesday, clearing him to return to his seat in the Senate.
After receiving notification that the charges had been dropped, Brazeau took a shot at former prime minister Stephen Harper on Twitter, saying, “I guess Harper is free to resign. He won’t have to testify.”
That may have been a reference to the fact that as long as Harper remains a member of Parliament he can invoke parliamentary privilege to avoid testifying at a criminal trial.
Patrick Brazeau is about to scrum with journalists in his senate office. #hw pic.twitter.com/ayBntw7NSN
Senator Pamela Wallin’s expenses were the subject of a “thorough investigation,” after which RCMP decided they would not press charges.
Senator Mike Duffy was charged with 31 offences relating to his expenses. He went to trial and was cleared of all charges in April.
Retired senator Mac Harb was also charged, but those charges were also withdrawn by the Crown.