Senator Harb, it’s time to pay

Today, July 3rd, 2013, marks the deadline for Senator Mac Harb to pay back Canadians for the $231,649 that he illegally claimed in expenses and interest.

Two scenarios are possible:

1) He follows Senator Brazeau’s lead and refuses to issue a cheque or agree to a repayment plan, in which case the Senate may have to garnish his wages until taxpayers are reimbursed once and for all; or

2) He issues a cheque, thereby enabling him to rejoin the Liberal caucus, as was promised by his leader. After the sponsorship scandal, it would seem that the theft of a quarter-million dollars of taxpayer money is peanuts for the Liberals.

In order to pay back his debt, will Mac Harb get the help of a Good Samaritan à la Nigel Wright, or perhaps a fundraiser who takes money from charitable organizations? Unfortunately, the Senate’s lack of transparency will keep us in the dark.

But even if Senator Harb were to reimburse taxpayers, the fundamental problem remains: he will always be an unelected and unaccountable senator, representing a party that has handed him a highly paid, life-long job on a silver platter—one which he has used to line his pockets.

Canadians deserve better.