Sen. Mike Duffy is taking legal action against the Senate and the federal government, seeking nearly $8 million in damages.
The suit seeks $6.5 million in general damages, $300,000 for loss of income and benefits and $1 million in punitive damages relating to the treatment Duffy faced during the Senate expenses scandal.
In a statement, the P.E.I. senator said Conservatives are still in control of the Senate's powerful internal economy committee — which deals with budget and other personnel matters — and they have proven they are "not interested in correcting the unjustified actions taken against me by the Senate."
"The Harper Conservatives have left me with no choice but to go back to the courts for justice," Duffy said.
An Ontario judge dismissed all 31 criminal charges relating to Duffy's Senate expenses in April 2016, clearing the way for his return to the Senate. Duffy now sits as a member of the Independent Senators Group (ISG).
Mike Duffy will face a battle if he wants back pay, senior Tory senators say
Duffy said Thursday he has suffered "stress and serious financial damage" since the Senate moved to suspend him from the chamber and referred his questionable expenses to the RCMP for investigation in 2013. The senator maintains that he was not afforded due process or the presumption of innocence throughout these proceedings.
The P.E.I. senator's pay — and most of his benefits — were withheld for two years but were later restored when former prime minister Stephen Harper dissolved Parliament to call the last election. After Duffy's acquittal, the Senate also clawed back some $17,000 of expenses — which came to light during the trial — that it deemed inappropriate despite the judge's findings.
In December 2016, Duffy requested a reimbursement of the salary, living allowances and pension accruals that were withheld because of his suspension. The senator said that request has been ignored.
The Senate's interim law clerk, Jacqueline Kuehl, told CBC News the Red Chamber would not comment as the matter is before the courts. The Senate will soon be expected to file a statement of defence in response to Duffy's accusations.
A former top Harper staffer said Thursday Duffy's demand for such a large monetary sum speaks to his true character.
"By going for this grossly inflated figure of nearly $8 million, it just confirms, I think, what everybody knows about Mike Duffy and that his north star is greed," Andrew MacDougall, Harper's former director of communications, said in an interview.
