Senator Margaret Dawn Anderson is calling for the expulsion of fellow Senator Lynn Beyak from the Red Chamber.
Anderson, the Northwest Territories' lone representative, said she was both in support of recommendations of a Jan. 31 report that would suspend Beyak from her Senate duties for the second time in eight months, and was in favour of removing her from the chamber entirely.
"That's my opinion, however I understand there is a process that must take place under the parliamentary rules," she said. "One of our key constitutional responsibilities as Senators includes advocating for the regions and giving voice to underrepresented groups and I think that Senator Beyak continually demonstrates that she is unwilling to do that.
"What the report is very clear on is that it's no longer acceptable to be in denial or ignorant of our Indigenous history or the impacts on Indigenous people."
The report details training Beyak underwent through the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, which she was asked to leave after allegedly claiming she was Métis because her adopted sister was Indigenous and stating that racism does not exist in her hometown of Dryden, Ont. Beyak is denying she made the claim about being Métis.
Beyak was appointed to the Senate by then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2013 but was suspended from the Conservative caucus in 2018 after she rose in the chamber to give a speech claiming that residential schools did a lot of good for Indigenous children and subsequently posting a number of emails on her website, many of which were criticized for racist views by the Senate Ethics officer.
The Conservative Party is the only political party that still maintains a presence in the Senate. Anderson is a member of the Independent Senators Group.
When the Senate ordered Beyak to take the emails off her official site, she refused. Ultimately the Senate removed the emails without her permission and suspended her without pay.
Anderson, who is originally from Tuktoyaktuk, said it was important for Canadians to understand that racism remains a serious problem for many people in Canada.
"As an Indigenous people, we run into racism frequently. I don't think people are cognizant of how much racism you run into as an Indigenous person," she said. "People think that it's not happening when it does. I'm speaking from personal experience as a mother of five. I'm speaking of my children being followed around in a store, of experiences my 14-year-old daughter has in school and the homework she brings home. This is one of many things that Indigenous people live through daily and to not speak up when I see or hear these things is just not an option for me.
"We have a history that we can't ignore within the Beaufort Delta. There's a lot of colonialism, suppression, assimilation and erasure of who we are as Indigenous people and it's important for us to give voice to that and to put our own narrative out that informs and educate others."
With the report tabled Feb. 4, five sitting days now have to pass before the chamber can vote on it. Should the Senate pass the recommendations and suspend Beyak again, Anderson said the next step was for further examination of the issue by the Ethics Committee, which would bring a final report back to the Senate by June 30 which could recommend a full expulsion.
No senator has ever been expelled from the chamber in Canadian history. Senators who are suspended resume their duties when a new federal election is called. Once appointed, Senators are entitled to keep their job until age 75, though they are able to resign ahead of time.