Senators urge governor to strip Don Meredith of ‘honorable’ title

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OTTAWA — Senators have voted to ask Gov. Mary Simon to strip former colleague Don Meredith of his “honorable” title.

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Meredith resigned from the Senate amid a sexual misconduct scandal, and Ottawa police charged him with sexual assault and criminal harassment in October.

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The Senate has approved a motion asking Simon to “take the necessary steps to revoke the title of honor and the title of ‘honor’ from Meredith.”

Official protocol states that senators should be considered “honorable” for life.

An ordained pastor, Meredith was appointed to the Senate in 2010 on the advice of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Shortly before the motion was passed, senators expanded it to call on Meredith and former senators convicted of criminal offenses by indictment to be stripped of their “honorable” titles.

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Senators also amended a motion asking Simon to make this decision himself, instead of asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ask Simon to change.

In 2017, a Senate ethics officer concluded that Meredith had violated the House Code of Ethics by having an affair with a 16-year-old girl, and recommended that the Senate take the unprecedented step of deporting him.

At the time, Meredith admitted to the sexual relationships implied in the report, but said nothing happened until she turned 18.

A second Senate investigation released in 2019 found that Meredith had repeatedly bullied, threatened, threatened, touched, kissed, and suggested to staff members.