Ottawa – The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has released the report of the independent evaluator who assessed claims of staff who experienced harassment — including, in some cases, sexual harassment — while working in the office of former senator Don Meredith.

The committee has accepted all recommendations in the report of the Honourable Louise Otis, including that her report be made public. Her report is available on the committee’s page of the Senate website.

A total of $498,000 will be paid in compensation to nine staff members, while $30,000 will be paid in respect of legal fees incurred by some staff members.

In an investigation that concluded in 2019, the Senate Ethics Officer found that Mr. Meredith had engaged in behaviour that “constitutes both harassment and sexual harassment” after having considered incidents that took place prior to Mr. Meredith’s resignation from the Senate in May 2017.

Quick Facts

• The Honourable Louise Otis is a former justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal who agreed to act as independent evaluator on July 7, 2020.
• The committee issued a statement of regret to staff of Mr. Meredith that was read in the Senate Chamber on June 25, 2020.
• Meredith resigned from the Senate on May 10, 2017. The Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators had recommended his expulsion from the Senate after another Senate Ethics Officer investigation concluded that Mr. Meredith had carried on an improper sexual relationship with a teenager.

Associated Links

• Read the report of the Honourable Louise Otis.
• Learn more about the independent evaluation process.
• Read the Office of the Senate Ethics Officer’s June 28, 2019 report.

For more information:

Alison Korn
Issues Management and Media Relations Advisor | Senate of Canada
613-410-1892 | alison.korn@sen.parl.gc.ca