Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Beyak Thumbs Nose At Senate Orders On Racist Letters About Indigenous Peoples

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Sep, 2019 07:52 PM

    OTTAWA - Racist letters about Indigenous Peoples have finally been removed from Sen. Lynn Beyak's website — but only because Senate officials erased them after Beyak refused to do so herself.

     

    She is still thumbing her nose at Senate orders to apologize for posting the letters and to take educational programs on racism directed at Indigenous people.

     

    In early May, senators voted to suspend Beyak without pay for the remainder of the parliamentary session, which ended with the call of the federal election on Sept. 11.

     

    At that time, the Senate also ordered Beyak to remove the letters, apologize and take cultural sensitivity training within 30 days — none of which she did.

     

    Beyak — appointed by former prime minister Stephen Harper, but turfed from the Conservative caucus over her refusal to remove the letters first posted in early 2018 — will be back in the Red Chamber when Parliament resumes after the Oct. 21 election.

     

    But Sen. Peter Harder, who was the Trudeau government's representative in the upper house, expects senators will consider further steps to punish Beyak, including renewing the suspension without pay.

     

    "It is my expectation that the Senate will make it a priority to revisit the matter of Senator Beyak's suspension as soon as possible when Parliament reconvenes," Harder said in an email.

     

    "Senator Beyak has repeatedly promoted a distorted view of residential schools, has shared racist letters on her website and has so far refused to follow through on the Senate's recommendations for remedial measures. It is unbecoming of a Canadian senator to deny Canadian history — and it offends the dignity of the Senate as a whole. Canadian lawmakers should not provide a forum for these types of racial stereotypes — online or elsewhere."

     

    Beyak did not respond to a request for comment.

     

    The controversy arose after Beyak gave a speech in the Senate in January 2018, in which she argued that Indian residential schools did a lot of good for Indigenous children, although many suffered physical and sexual abuse and thousands died from disease and malnutrition. She subsequently posted dozens of letters on her website to show she had support for her views.

     

    In a report released in April, Senate ethics officer Pierre Legault concluded that five of the letters contained racist content, suggesting that Indigenous people are lazy, chronic whiners who are milking the residential-school issue to get government handouts.

     

    He said Beyak's refusal to remove them violated the Senate's conflict of interest code by not upholding the highest standards of dignity required of a senator, by failing to perform her duties with dignity, honour and integrity, and by acting in a way that could reflect negatively on the Senate.

     

    Legault recommended she remove the letters, apologize and take sensitivity training, which Beyak refused to do. The Senate ethics committee and finally the Senate as a whole took up the issue and ordered her to comply, but she has ignored them too.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    B.C. Auditor Says Tighter Expense Rules, Oversight Needed At B.C. Legislature

    VICTORIA - British Columbia's auditor general says the province's legislature must set higher standards for expense reporting by top administrative officials following allegations of spending abuses made by Speaker Darryl Plecas.    

    B.C. Auditor Says Tighter Expense Rules, Oversight Needed At B.C. Legislature

    B.C. Premier John Horgan To Discuss State Of Logging Road Bus Took Before Deadly Crash

    VICTORIA - British Columbia Premier John Horgan is expected to meet with Indigenous leaders on Vancouver Island next week to discuss the state of a treacherous logging road where two students died in a bus crash.

    B.C. Premier John Horgan To Discuss State Of Logging Road Bus Took Before Deadly Crash

    Electronic Ticketing Comes To The Abbotsford Police Department

    Electronic Ticketing Comes To The Abbotsford Police Department
    This week, the Abbotsford Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit will be using new technology to issue violation tickets.    

    Electronic Ticketing Comes To The Abbotsford Police Department

    Defence Lawyer Awaiting Information From Crown In RCMP Secrets Case

    Defence Lawyer Awaiting Information From Crown In RCMP Secrets Case
    OTTAWA - A lawyer for an RCMP employee charged with breaching the official-secrets law says he is awaiting details of the allegations from the Crown.    

    Defence Lawyer Awaiting Information From Crown In RCMP Secrets Case

    Saskatchewan Hospitals To Watch For Vaping-Related Illnesses: Health Minister

    The government of Saskatchewan is going to watch for any vaping-related illnesses in the province.

    Saskatchewan Hospitals To Watch For Vaping-Related Illnesses: Health Minister

    Canadian Cities Respond To Drive-Thru Woes

    At a transportation committee meeting this week, councillors approved the plan to construct a "traffic circle" at the end of the street and introduce a bylaw banning left turns into the restaurant's drive-thru.    

    Canadian Cities Respond To Drive-Thru Woes