After a year-long investigation, the Senate ethics watchdog has found Conservative Senator Micheal MacDonald violated ethics rules by making a slew of candid comments about the Freedom Convoy and Ottawa bureaucrats, which were filmed by a live streamer.
The findings came after nine complaints from Liberal-appointed senators that MacDonald’s behaviour breached rules governing how senators must conduct themselves.
On February 16, 2022, nearly three weeks after the Freedom Convoy arrived in Ottawa, MacDonald was stopped by a pro-Freedom Convoy live streamer while walking home from dinner.
Despite being asked to not be filmed, the live streamer captured MacDonald expressing support for the Freedom Convoy, criticizing the residents of Ottawa for their supposed sense of entitlement, and even calling his wife and other Freedom Convoy critics “Karens.”
The Liberal-appointed senators took issue with MacDonald “mocking the residents of Ottawa,” “insinuating certain stereotypes about the Ottawa residents and their salaries,” “using profanity and foul language to describe Canada’s political leadership and democratic institutions,” and expressing support for the Freedom Convoy, which they deemed to be “illegal.”
They accused MacDonald of violating section 7.1 of the Senate ethics code, which compels senators to act with decency and refrain from acting in a manner that could negatively affect the Senate’s reputation. Some senators also accused MacDonald of violating section 7.2, which compels senators to carry out their parliamentary duties with dignity, honour, and integrity.
MacDonald apologized for his actions in the Senate chamber, on social media, on television, and a number of other times following the incident. He also apologized to the citizens of Ottawa and his wife, claiming his comments were made under the influence of alcohol.
Despite the apology, on April 12, 2022, Senate ethics officer Pierre Legault gave MacDonald ten days to make a more satisfactory apology that must be posted to social media and include a recognition that the Senate would be justified in censuring him.
The Senate ethics office granted MacDonald three extensions to its deadline until MacDonald posted an apology in June 2022, though he did not invite censure from his colleagues.
Macdonald argued that being forced to encourage his colleagues to censure him constituted compelled speech, noting he had not broken any laws or encouraged any violence.
“This is definitely not an ethical issue,” MacDonald said.
Moving forward with an inquiry into the matter, on June 29, 2022, ethics officer Legault sent MacDonald a number of questions pertaining to the investigation as part of a written interview, giving the senator until July 22, 2022.
The day before the deadline, MacDonald complained to Legault that the interview questions were too detailed and not relevant to the investigation at large, such as asking him who he was dining with before the encounter and other questions that he characterized as “highly controversial public policy matters” that were a matter of “partisan debate.”
Legault reprimanded MacDonald for his initial comments, and also for what he argued was a failure to cooperate with the ethics investigation.
Legault is unable to levy a penalty but has recommended to the Senate impose a sanction of some kind.
In a comment to True North, MacDonald said that he has not had the opportunity to read through the report as he is presently attending to parliamentary duties in the United States, but he welcomes the discuss the matter with the Senate’s ethics committee.
