By Canadian Press

Sen. Lynn Beyak apologizes for racist letters, says she’ll obey ethics report

Feb 25, 2020 | 2:37 PM

OTTAWA — Sen. Lynn Beyak sought to stave off suspension from the upper chamber today, apologizing unreservedly for posting offensive letters online and pledging to do more to show her contrition.

Beyak says after careful consideration, she now regrets both posting the letters — which included suggestions that Indigenous cultures are inferior — and later fighting demands she take them down.

She was temporarily suspended from the Senate over the issue, but that automatically ended when Parliament was dissolved for the 2019 federal election.

Last month, the Senate’s ethics committee concluded the suspension should be reinstated, saying Beyak hadn’t sufficiently apologized nor participated in education programs on racism towards Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Beyak rose in the Senate today to address the report, saying she will comply with the committee’s recommendations.

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She says she has learned from the experience, and is sorry, ready to listen and engage meaningfully in the process.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2020.

The Canadian Press