Mac Harb resigns. In my opinion he should have done so as soon as the audit of the irregularities in his spending claims were made public. However, his action even if a bit late shows some sense of decency in the man from the Liberal party. Not so with the Conservative senators! No sireeee!! The shameless ones are hanging on for dear life and will continue making excuses for their greed and dishonesty.
Josh Wingrove writing at TheGlobe&Mail:
Mac Harb resigns from Senate, didn’t want to be ‘poster boy’ for spending audit. After first pledging to defend his housing claims in court, Mac Harb has abandoned his legal fight, repaid a total of $231,649 and resigned from the Senate.
Mr. Harb is said to have made the decision after the wide scope of a Senate spending review by Canada’s Auditor-General became clear, with his lawyer saying the former senator, who was facing a long and expensive legal battle, didn’t want to be the “poster boy” for the lengthy audit.
In departing, Mr. Harb said his claims were in keeping with common Senate practice, and that “most senators made similar claims.” The Liberal appointee maintains he was treated unfairly by a Conservative-dominated committee and believes the Auditor-General’s investigation, due to be completed in 2015, will vindicate him.
Mr. Harb’s resignation comes as the Liberal caucus – senators and MPs – meets in Prince Edward Island this week. It also leaves six open seats in the Senate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said last week he has “no immediate plans” to fill any Senate vacancies, and a spokesman for Mr. Harper said Monday that statement still stands after Mr. Harb’s departure..................
Maria - my understanding is that, by resigning, Mr Harb gets to keep his pension. If he remained in office and ended up with a criminal conviction, he would be forest to resign and forfeit his pension. So it's still serious self-interest on this man's part.
ReplyDeleteFrances ... I didn't know that! Trust the Libs to know how to be sophisticated cheats!
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