Tories will survive, says Sask. senator
The federal Conservative Party and the Canadian Senate may need to change, but both will survive recent “bumps in the road,” says a Saskatoon Conservative senator.
“Things were done that were improper, but everybody’s trying to make these things into major scandals. They are not. These are bumps in the road,” Sen. Dave Tkachuk said in an interview with The StarPhoenix Sunday from his Saskatoon home.
Tkachuk has been in the national spotlight for months, chairing the committee investigating the spending of senators such as Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin. Both have repaid tens of thousands in inappropriate expense claims and the Senate has referred Duffy’s case to the RCMP.
The Conservatives faced other recent controversies, from the mysterious $90,000 cheque written to Duffy by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff to official rebukes of some Saskatchewan MPs for unprofessional conduct during the electoral boundary debate.
Tkachuk dismissed a suggestion the Harper government is facing the similar pattern of rapid decline as other once seemingly invincible Conservative regimes.
Tkachuk served as principal secretary for Grant Devine when he won the largest majority in Saskatchewan election history to that point. Devine served two terms, but the party was wiped out following a spending scandal and other unpopular policies. Tkachuk was also a longtime federal Conservative worker, and was appointed to the Senate in 1993 by Brian Mulroney.
Tkachuk also gave a vigorous defence of the Senate. Some have called for major reforms, while others including Premier Brad Wall have mused about abolishing the upper chamber altogether.
Tkachuk said he has long favoured reforms to create an elected Senate, “but I don’t agree with elimination.
Tkachuk said “all great countries” have a bicameral system.
As for his committee’s investigation of Wallin and others, Tkachuk confirmed Wallin has repaid $38,000 for inappropriate claims to this point. He denied reports she could be asked to repay $20,000 more.
Tkachuk said the Senate committee will hear this week from auditors about their timelines for completing their investigation of Wallin’s claims. He expects criticism about the lengthy process, but said he’d probably come under just as much fire if they limited its scope to hurry things along.
“This is very difficult, but this is politics. Everyone has their own agenda,” he said.