As many of you know, I am a man of faith, and faith is at the foundation of a good and just society. But I fear that the faith in the great institution of our Canadian Senate may be shaken in the minds of the public, after long, drawn-out expense scandals in recent years rocked the Upper Chamber to its very core. These were without question, the most egregious political scandal in decades and you will remember that my name was barely mentioned in those proceedings, because I am a man who has faith in the rules of our country and of God.
Now, my name has been in the news regarding my previous sexual relationship with one “Ms. M” whom I met at church when she was 16. Although this information has been out for years, the Senate’s recent judgement on the matter that I acted unethically is false! I did not have sex with a teenage girl, as some have reported. I had sex with a teenage woman. But sex is not the real issue here. It’s is, and always has been, how much public money senators use in the completion of their often ill defined and merely ceremonial duties at unelected officials. But I think the public should know: I kept all my receipts.
I want to emphasize, that although my recollection of my relationship with Ms. M may be a little fuzzy in attempting to answer simple yes-or-no questions – questions like, ‘Did I have sex with her before she was 18?’ or ‘Did I use my publicly issued mobile phone to exchange sexual massages with her?’ or ‘Did I masturbate with her over Skype on more than one occasion?’ – my answers to questions about my expenses have been always been made in full, lucid detail in a timely fashion whenever asked of me. Expenses! That’s the issue that matters most to the citizens of this fair nation, whose consent laws, I might add, were raised to the age of 16 under Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister who appointed me to the Senate in 2010.
This attempted character assassination for doing what many men – who have shared with me in private – that they absolutely wished they could have done (be a part of the Senate), has gone on for long enough. And as far as the other bogus allegation levelled against me in the Senate ethics report that my staff has been victimized by my “abusive behaviour” toward them, perhaps it behooves the public to stop and consider that it might be ME that is in fact the real victim here: the victim of their incompetence!
Your humble servant,
Hon. Rev. Dr. Don Meredith
