A SENATOR'S FALL
Don Meredith faces sex allegations.
TORONTO • At the Pentecostal Praise Centre in suburban Vaughan, Ont., Don Meredith is admired as a man of God.
“He’s a great pastor and a great leader,’’ one church member, a woman who said she was close to the volunteer pastor, said Thursday.
‘‘I am still in disbelief; I don’t believe what’s happening.’’
Meredith, appointed to the Senate five years ago, resigned from the Conservative caucus Wednesday night after reports that a woman claimed to have had a sexual relationship with him that began shortly after she turned 16. The woman told the Toronto Star that Meredith initially believed her to be 18, but she told him her true age within six weeks of the pair’s first meeting at a Black History Month event at a church in Ottawa.
On Thursday, Senate Speaker Leo Housakos said he has referred the matter to the ethics officer: “As Speaker of the Senate of Canada, I’m called upon to explain things. Certain things are inexplicable, and this kind of behaviour is inexplicable.”
Meredith, 50, was appointed to the Senate on Dec. 18, 2010. He had run unsuccessfully for the Conservatives in a 2008 byelection in the riding of Toronto Centre, but was best known as co-founder of the Greater Toronto Faith Alliance, where he serves as executive director and is an advocate for marginalized and at-risk youth.
He became known as the “fastest senator in Canada,” for his fleet-footed performance on the soccer field, and also as one of Parliament’s most dapper men. ‘‘People have told me I have presence and flair. I try to have swag,” he told the Ottawa Citizen in a profile about Ottawa’s best dressed. “I love grooming myself.’’
Meredith left Jamaica to come to Canada when he was 12 years old. He studied at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, but dropped out before graduating. He and his wife, Michelle Meredith, an educator and fellow youth advocate, have a daughter and a son together. Their children are involved in their church work and social activism.
“I’ve got a strong, supportive wife and kids,” Meredith said in 2013. “But being away from them sometimes is challenging, when you’ve got to spend so much time away.”
Meredith has had a rough time of it in the Senate.
In 2012, Meredith landed in trouble for appearing at a Persian cultural event at Ottawa City Hall co-organized by the Iranian embassy. The Prime Minister’s Office distanced itself from Meredith after the event, saying Meredith wasn’t there representing the government, which has taken a hard line against Iran.
Last year, Meredith repaid the Senate for a trip he and his wife took to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. The annual event draws some 3,000 politicians and diplomats, including the U.S. president.
Meredith also landed in hot water for referring to himself as “Dr. Don Meredith” in press releases, despite the fact his doctorate came from an institution that didn’t have degreegranting powers.
More recently, he became the subject of a special review by the upper chamber as a result of a high level of staff turnover in his office.
Meredith has faced what the Senate calls a workplace assessment since February. Although there is no formal complaint against him, Senate sources confirmed the review is looking into allegations against Meredith of verbal abuse, bullying and sexual misconduct in the workplace.
On Wednesday, his daughter took to Twitter: “Praying for all those that have been hurt, abused, and ridiculed falsely.”
Last week, Meredith’s wife tweeted an image of their family crest alongside the caption: “Meredith Family crest. We stand united.”