Duffy lawsuit against Senate ends

The Supreme Court of Canada won’t be hearing Sen. Mike Duffy’s appeal of his failed lawsuit against the Senate over his suspension in 2013.

On Thursday, the country’s highest court dismissed Duffy’s application for leave to appeal a previous decision from the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

The Senate suspended Duffy in 2013 after an internal economy, budgets and administration committee report found he violated living and travel expense rules.

It all related to Duffy claiming living expenses for staying in his Ottawa-area home while saying he was a resident of P.E.I.

Duffy sued the Senate, alleging his suspension was politically motivated, unconstitutional, procedurally unfair and contrary to his

Charter rights.

He was also charged criminally but acquitted in 2016 after a trial.

Despite the acquittal, the Senate clawed back some of Duffy’s salary.

In response to the lawsuit, the Senate argued it couldn’t proceed because the actions it related to fell within the scope of parliamentary privilege.

In a 2018 decision, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted the Senate’s motion for dismissal, which Duffy then appealed.

The Court of Appeal of Ontario agreed with the lower court’s decision and dismissed his appeal, which he then tried unsuccessfully to have heard in the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Supreme Court of Canada did not give a reason for dismissing Duffy’s application for leave to appeal.