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Nine senators are having their cases referred to the RCMP after the Auditor-General examined the Senate’s expenses. Twenty-one other senators are being asked to reimburse taxpayers. For more developments on the Senate expenses investigation, read Daniel Leblanc's report here.



Current senators


(The Canadian Press)

PIERRE-HUGHES BOISVENU

Appointed by: Stephen Harper as a Conservative on Jan. 29, 2010

Occupation: Victim’s rights advocate and public servant

Bio: Mr. Boisvenu has frequently served as the public face of the Conservative government’s tough-on-crime agenda. After his daughter Julie was murdered by a repeat offender in 2002, he founded the Murdered or Missing Persons’ Families’ Association, which aims to help victims’ families advocate for changes to the criminal justice system. He is also a co-founder of a centre for abused women in Val d’Or, Quebec and a school camp for underprivileged youth in Estrie, Que.

Mr. Boisvenu has courted controversy in the past. In 2012, he sparked outrage with a suggestion that people convicted of murder should be given rope in their prison cells and allowed to decide whether to hang themselves. He later apologized for the remark. The following year, Mr. Boisvenu admitted to reporters that his office continued to employ his girlfriend for six months after the Senate ethics officer told him he must end the relationship or fire her. The woman eventually took a different job in the Senate.

Amount of disputed expenses: $61,076


(Reuters)

COLIN KENNY

Appointed by: Pierre Trudeau as a Liberal on June 29, 1984

Occupation: Political staffer and former energy executive

Bio: Mr. Kenny’s career in the Senate focused largely on defence and national security matters. He is a former chair of the Senate committee on national security and defence and has been a frequent public commentator on Canada’s role in Afghanistan, the Arctic and border security, among other issues. He was an executive with Dome Petroleum Ltd. in Calgary in the early 1980s, according to a biography posted on his personal website. Before that, he worked in the prime minister’s office between 1969 and 1979, serving as a special assistant, director of operations, policy adviser and assistant principal secretary to then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

Amount of disputed expenses: $35,549


Retired senators


(The Canadian Press)

SHARON CARSTAIRS

Appointed by: Jean Chrétien as a Liberal on Sept. 15, 1994

Retired: Oct. 17, 2011 (resigned to spend more time with family)

Occupation: Manitoba MLA and leader of Manitoba and Alberta Liberal parties

Bio: As leader of the Manitoba Liberals, Ms. Carstairs became the first female Official Opposition leader in a Canadian legislature. In the Senate, she held special responsibility for palliative-care policy, authoring two major reports on the subject, and served as government leader in the Senate from 2001 to 2003.

Amount of disputed expenses: $7,528


(Handout)

MARIE-PAULE CHARETTE-POULIN

Appointed by: Jean Chrétien as a Liberal on Sept. 21, 1995

Retired: April 17, 2015 (resigned suddenly, citing health reasons)

Occupation: Public servant and vice-president of the CBC

Bio: After working in broadcasting and government communications, Ms. Charette-Poulin led a Senate committee on communications and telecommunications. While a senator, she was president of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2006 to 2008. She represented Northern Ontario.

Amount of disputed expenses: $5,606


(The Canadian Press)

ROSE-MARIE LOSIER-COOL

Appointed by: Jean Chrétien as a Liberal on March 21, 1995

Retired: June 18, 2012 (reached mandatory retirement age of 75)

Occupation: Teacher

Bio: The long-time New Brunswick teacher and women’s advocate became deputy speaker twice, and was the first woman to serve as chief government whip in the Senate in 2004.

Amount of disputed expenses: $110,051


(The Canadian Press)

DON OLIVER

Appointed by: Brian Mulroney as a Conservative on Sept. 7, 1990

Retired: Nov. 16, 2013 (reached mandatory retirement age of 75)

Occupation: Lawyer

Bio: Mr. Oliver was legal counsel for the Progressive Conservatives during six elections in the 1970s and 1980s, and served in several executive roles. In 1990, he became the first black man ever appointed to the Senate. He served as deputy speaker from 2010 to 2013.

Amount of disputed expenses: $23,395


(The Canadian Press)

BILL ROMPKEY

Appointed by: Jean Chrétien as a Liberal on Sept. 21, 1995

Retired: May 13, 2011 (reached mandatory retirement age of 75)

Occupation: Newfoundland Liberal MP, educator

Bio: A teacher and former naval officer, Mr. Rompkey was first elected to the House in 1972, and served as a cabinet minister and minister of state under Pierre Trudeau and John Turner. He has written several books about his native Newfoundland and Labrador.

Amount of disputed expenses: $17,292


(Handout)

GERRY ST. GERMAIN

Appointed by: Brian Mulroney as a Conservative on June 23, 1993

Retired: Nov. 6, 2012 (reached mandatory retirement age of 75)

Occupation: Pilot, police officer and poultry farmer

Bio: Mr. St. Germain was a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament from B.C., who served briefly as a junior minister in Mr. Mulroney’s government. After he was defeated in the 1988 election, he served as president of the PC party before being appointed to the Red Chamber in Mr. Mulroney’s last days as prime minister. He played a key role in uniting the PCs and Reform party into the modern Conservative party in 2003.

Amount of disputed expenses: $67,588


(The Canadian Press)

ROD ZIMMER

Appointed by: Paul Martin as a Liberal on Aug. 2, 2005

Retired: Aug. 2, 2013 (resigned due to ill health)

Occupation: Businessman

Bio: Mr. Zimmer, who worked as an executive at the Manitoba Lotteries Foundation and CanWest Capital Corp., was appointed to the Senate by Paul Martin after years of fundraising for the prime minister and the Liberals. In 2012, his wife Maygan Sensenberger attracted significant attention after an outburst on an Air Canada flight. A Senate committee took a closer look at his expense claims in 2013, shortly after he resigned, but said they were satisfied with his explanations.

Amount of disputed expenses: $176,014

With files from the Canadian Press