By Canadian Press

Senators were intimidated, had their privilege breached, Speaker rules

Dec 5, 2023 | 3:51 PM

OTTAWA — Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagné says nothing could justify the “disproportionate reaction” some senators had to a decision to adjourn debate on a carbon pricing bill last month.

Gagné ruled today that the events that transpired on Nov. 9 breached the privilege of some senators.

Sen. Raymonde Saint-Germain raised the question of privilege saying she and Sen. Bernadette Clement felt physically intimidated and harassed that day when another senator stood over their desks and berated them for their positions on the bill.

Conservative Sen. Don Plett apologized in the Senate on Nov. 24, saying he was angered by moves to amend the bill and to adjourn debate on that amendment, which he saw as an attempt to delay passage of the legislation.

The private member’s bill, which is in its third and final stage of debate in the Senate, would take the carbon price off natural gas and propane used for farming for at least the next eight years.

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Gagné says what happened in the Senate can clearly be interpreted as attempts to intimidate or constrain senators, and it’s critical for them to be able to go about their duties without being subject to such behaviour. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2023.

The Canadian Press