OTTAWA - A senator is bringing forward a motion to expel embattled Senator Lynn Beyak from the upper chamber.
Senator Mary Jane McCallum from Manitoba said in a statement on Tuesday that she is introducing the motion to expel Beyak for her continued actions that have ‘brought herself disrepute but have brought the Senate as a whole into disrepute as well.’
“My motion will hopefully give senators the opportunity to exercise their right to discipline one of our own for their misconduct, bringing with it a resolution to an on-going drama that has been a black eye on our esteemed Chamber,” McCallum said.
“Her actions are undeniably causing further unnecessary damage to the reputation of the Senate as an institution while also continuing to cause immeasurable and sustained pain for countless First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples.”
Beyak, of Dryden, has drawn ongoing criticism for previously posting derogatory letters about Indigenous people to her Senate webpage.
After refusing to take the letters down, Beyak was suspended in May 2019 without pay. She later issued a letter of apology and completed an anti-racism course.
The Senate Ethics Committee recommended in June that Beyak be reinstated. The report was being debated in the Senate but the prorogation of parliament in August brought an end to the debate.
“Prorogation and its related effect of resetting the Order Paper removed this resolution process from the hands of senators and resulted in the quiet reinstatement of Senator Beyak as a full-fledged senator in good standing,” McCallum said.
McCallum added that the Senate holds the privilege of disciplinary authority over its members, including the right to expel.
“If the Senate takes seriously their responsibility to oversee senators’ conduct and hold one another accountable when a senator misconducts themselves, the Senate is then duty-bound to complete the process that was ended prematurely with prorogation,” McCallum said. “Any less than this, or any delegation or deferral of this authority, is neither appropriate nor responsible.”
“If it is believed that Senator Beyak has merited her return, she should be entitled to return to the Senate by a decision of her peers; not to simply return because the clock has run out on her suspension.”
McCallum said Beyak’s actions and words have been elevated to an institutional level by the Senate ‘operating in a way that enabled her escalating misconduct.’
“This matter, at its core, is an egregious example of white privilege being exercised within existing colonial systems,” McCallum said.
“The insidious nature of this white privilege is the blindness that it has created with respect to its very existence, as well as its influence across multiple levels of society, including the Senate of Canada. Senator Beyak’s actions have sown division in our society. By allowing her to remain in a position with the inherent title of ‘Honourable’ while such misdeeds have been appropriated is irresponsible and sets a poor example that is contrary to how Parliamentarians expect themselves and each other to act.”
Beyak has not issued a comment regarding the motion. Beyak's office has been contacted regarding the motion.
