OTTAWA – Senator Lynn Beyak has been suspended a second time.
The Red Chamber's internal economy committee on Thursday made the decision to remove the Dryden representative for the second time in less than a year, following her failure to properly respond to recommendations by the Senate Ethics Office after she posted racist letters to her official Senate website.
Beyak had been told to remove the letters, attend sensitivity training and apologize for her actions. She was asked to leave the training, her apology was determined to be misguided and half-hearted and for months she refused to remove the letters, which offered support for the residential school system.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said it was the right decision.
“I took time to listen to her apology, the tone of her apology and it just wasn't sincere at all. I'm really glad the senate this afternoon took the steps to suspend her again, because she doesn't belong there.”
The suspension will allow the 71-year-old Beyak to complete the sensitivity training and mull over the hurt she caused Canada's Indigenous population.
According to the CBC, the report was adopted on division in the senate, meaning there was division on the decision to remove Beyak.
On Tuesday Beyak did apologize, a last-ditch effort to avoid being suspended again.
“I would like to unreservedly apologize for my actions,” she said.
“After deep and careful reflection, I have come to the view that the posting of offensive and hurtful letters to a Senate public website was wrong and ill-considered and my insistence on leaving them up was also wrong.”
Beyak was also suspended last April for the remainder of the Parliamentary session.
