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MPs unanimously agreed Thursday that former privacy czar George Radwanski was in contempt of Parliament for providing misleading information about his spending to a parliamentary committee.

Mr. Radwanski resigned from his post in June after the committee said he altered documents and misrepresented his expense claims.

Earlier Thursday, Mr. Radwanski apologized to the House of Commons for the first time since his resignation five months ago.

It was an about-face for the former privacy commissioner, who had previously rejected all claims against him.

The Commons heard Mr. Radwanski's apology, read aloud by Liberal MP Reg Alcock, chairman of a subcommittee of MPs who ruled earlier this week that Mr. Radwanski was in contempt of Parliament.

In the letter, Mr. Radwanski apologized both to the House of Commons and to all Canadians, saying he did not in any way attempt to mislead Parliament.

"It was never my wish to show any disrespect for Parliament whatsoever," Mr. Radwanski said, adding he has great respect for the government.

"I apologize sincerely and without reservation," he said. He said he had reflected on his actions in a period of intense reflection over the last few months.

He said he would like to put the matter behind him and move on with his life.

Mr. Radwanski's apology was accepted by the House but he is still open to any criminal charges that may arise from an RCMP investigation of the case.

While the Liberals were prepared to accept the letter, some opposition MPs disagreed.

Canadian Alliance MP Ken Epp said after the ruling that, "Mr. Radwanski got off pretty easy with only being found in contempt of Parliament. Had he misled any other court in the country, the penalties would have been much more severe." Mr. Epp also said Mr. Radwanski's letter was a "defence reaction" as to "how to get out of this."

With a report from Canadian Press

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