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| term_start = September 9, 2003
| term_start = September 9, 2003
| term_end = August 26, 2013
| term_end = August 26, 2013
| office2 = [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|MP]] for [[Ottawa Centre]]
| office2 = [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|MP]] for [[Ottawa Centre (federal electoral district)|Ottawa Centre]]
| term_start2 = November 21, 1988
| term_start2 = November 21, 1988
| term_end2 = September 8, 2003
| term_end2 = September 8, 2003
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| footnotes =
| footnotes =
}}
}}
'''Mac Harb''' (born November 10, 1953) is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] former politician, who served successively in local [[Ottawa]] positions, as a [[House of Commons of Canada|Member of the House of Commons]], and as a [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] for [[Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/SiteInformation/parlinfoMoved|title=ParlInfo Has Moved|website=lop.parl.ca}}</ref><ref name="J. Patrick Boyer">J. Patrick Boyer. ''Our Scandalous Senate'' Volume 1 of Point of View. Dundurn, 2014. chapter 3; pp. 58 to 60.
'''Mac Harb''' (born November 10, 1953) is a former Canadian politician, who served successively in local [[Ottawa]] positions, as a [[House of Commons of Canada|Member of the House of Commons]], and as a [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] for [[Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/SiteInformation/parlinfoMoved|title=ParlInfo Has Moved|website=lop.parl.ca}}</ref><ref name="J. Patrick Boyer">J. Patrick Boyer. ''Our Scandalous Senate'' Volume 1 of Point of View. Dundurn, 2014. chapter 3; pp. 58 to 60.
{{ISBN|9781459723672}}.</ref> He resigned his seat as [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] in 2013 amidst the [[Canadian Senate expenses scandal]].<ref name="Senate scandal: Mac Harb resigns"/>
{{ISBN|9781459723672}}.</ref> He resigned his seat as [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] in 2013 amidst the [[Canadian Senate expenses scandal]].<ref name="Senate scandal: Mac Harb resigns"/>


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Harb was born in Chaat, [[Lebanon]], and emigrated to [[Canada]] to study at the [[University of Ottawa]] in 1973. He subsequently worked as an engineer at [[Northern Telecom]] and a professor at [[Algonquin College]] in [[Ottawa]]. Harb was elected to [[Ottawa City Council]] in 1985 and served as deputy mayor in 1987 and 1988.<ref name="J. Patrick Boyer"/>
Harb was born in Chaat, [[Lebanon]], and emigrated to [[Canada]] to study at the [[University of Ottawa]] in 1973. He subsequently worked as an engineer at [[Northern Telecom]] and a professor at [[Algonquin College]] in [[Ottawa]]. Harb was elected to [[Ottawa City Council]] in 1985 and served as deputy mayor in 1987 and 1988.<ref name="J. Patrick Boyer"/>


He was first elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] in the [[1988 Canadian federal election|1988 federal election]] as the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Ottawa Centre]]. He supported [[Jean Chrétien]]'s bid to succeed [[John Turner]] as leader of the Liberal Party in 1990, and remained a Chrétien loyalist throughout his career as an MP.<ref name="J. Patrick Boyer"/>
He was first elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] in the [[1988 Canadian federal election|1988 federal election]] as the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Ottawa Centre (federal electoral district)|Ottawa Centre]]. He supported [[Jean Chrétien]]'s bid to succeed [[John Turner]] as leader of the Liberal Party in 1990 and remained a Chrétien loyalist throughout his career as an MP.<ref name="J. Patrick Boyer"/>


In September 2003, Harb was appointed to the [[Senate of Canada]] on Chrétien's recommendation.<ref name="J. Patrick Boyer"/>
In September 2003, Harb was appointed to the [[Senate of Canada]] on Chrétien's recommendation.<ref name="J. Patrick Boyer"/>
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In March 2009, Harb attempted to introduce a bill that would have limited the East Coast [[seal hunt]] to only those with aboriginal treaty rights. No senator seconded his motion to introduce the bill, something that other senators could not recall happening in over two decades.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seal hunt ban gets icy reception in Senate |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2009/03/03/seal-hunt.html |publisher=CBCNews |access-date=May 7, 2013}}</ref> He also attempted to introduce a bill in June 2011 that would outlaw commercial seal hunting, and had introduced a third bill against the seal hunt in May 2012. [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals|PETA]] subsequently honoured him as their "Canadian Person of the Year".<ref name="J. Patrick Boyer"/><ref>{{cite web |author=Robin Levinson |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/Harb+accepts+PETA+award+efforts+stop+inhumanity+seal+hunt/7749716/story.html |title=Harb accepts PETA award for his efforts to stop 'inhumanity' of the seal hunt |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=December 27, 2012}}</ref>
In March 2009, Harb attempted to introduce a bill that would have limited the East Coast [[seal hunt]] to only those with aboriginal treaty rights. No senator seconded his motion to introduce the bill, something that other senators could not recall happening in over two decades.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seal hunt ban gets icy reception in Senate |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2009/03/03/seal-hunt.html |publisher=CBCNews |access-date=May 7, 2013}}</ref> He also attempted to introduce a bill in June 2011 that would outlaw commercial seal hunting, and had introduced a third bill against the seal hunt in May 2012. [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals|PETA]] subsequently honoured him as their "Canadian Person of the Year".<ref name="J. Patrick Boyer"/><ref>{{cite web |author=Robin Levinson |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/Harb+accepts+PETA+award+efforts+stop+inhumanity+seal+hunt/7749716/story.html |title=Harb accepts PETA award for his efforts to stop 'inhumanity' of the seal hunt |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=December 27, 2012}}</ref>


== local Ottawa politics ==
== Local Ottawa politics ==


After the [[1991 Ottawa municipal election]], then Liberal MP Mac Harb who had supported a fiscal conservative, pro-business candidate [[Jacquelin Holzman]] admitted to "quietly encourag[ing]" [[Marc Laviolette]] to enter the race to split the vote, because he "couldn't stomach Smith's left wing social agenda" and the thought of [[Nancy Smith]] winning.<ref>https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ottawa-citizen/127038045/</ref>
After the [[1991 Ottawa municipal election]], Harb, who was a Liberal MP and had supported fiscally conservative, pro-business candidate [[Jacquelin Holzman]], admitted to "quietly encourag[ing]" [[Marc Laviolette]] to enter the race to split the vote, because he "couldn't stomach Smith's left-wing social agenda" and the thought of [[Nancy Smith (politician)|Nancy Smith]] winning.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ottawa-citizen/127038045/ | title=Article clipped from the Ottawa Citizen | newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen | date=30 November 1991 | page=1 }}</ref>


== Senate expense scandal ==
== Senate expense scandal ==
{{Main|Canadian Senate expenses scandal}}
{{Main|Canadian Senate expenses scandal}}


On December 6, 2012, Mac Harb was named in relation to the [[Canadian Senate expenses scandal]] due to expenses for a property in [[Pembroke, Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/568714/a-look-at-key-dates-in-the-evolution-of-the-senate-expense-claim-controversy/|title=Timeline: Key dates in the evolution of the Senate expense-claim controversy &#124; Globalnews.ca|website=Global News}}</ref> In May 2013, the Senate Internal Economy Committee found that Mac Harb had incorrectly claimed $51,482.92 of living and travel expenses and ordered him to repay it, which was done by July 5, 2013.<ref name="Harb repays $51K ">{{cite web | url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/07/04/pol-mac-harb-senate-repayment.html?cmp=rss | title=Senator Mac Harb repays $51K in expenses | publisher=CBC | date=4 July 2013 | access-date=15 July 2013}}</ref> The committee had earlier advised Harb to repay $231,000 of claimed expenses dating back to 2005 to avoid an extensive audit into his finances.<ref name="Harb repays $51K " /> Harb stated that his repayment was done "under protest" since he intended to challenge the validity of the committee's findings in the Ontario Divisional Court.<ref name="Harb repays $51K " /> On August 26, 2013, he repaid a further $180,166.17, for a total reimbursement of $231,649.07, after which he resigned his Senate seat.<ref name="Senate scandal: Mac Harb resigns">{{cite web | url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/08/26/senate_scandal_mac_harb_resigns.html | title=Senate scandal: Mac Harb resigns | publisher=Toronto Star | date=26 August 2013 | access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref> In February 2014, Harb was wrongfully charged with fraud and breach of trust in connection with these expense claims.<ref name="Mac Harb, Patrick Brazeau charged with fraud in Senate scandal ">{{cite news | url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mac-harb-patrick-brazeau-face-fraud-related-charges-in-senate-scandal/article16680901/ | title=Mac Harb, Patrick Brazeau charged with fraud in Senate scandal | work=[[CBC News]] | date=4 February 2016 | access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref> Those charges were later withdrawn by the Crown in May 2016, after the acquittal of Senator [[Mike Duffy]] on his own expense-related criminal charges.<ref name="Criminal charges dropped against former senator Mac Harb ">{{cite news | url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/criminal-charges-dropped-against-former-senator-mac-harb/article30104970/ | title=Criminal charges dropped against former senator Mac Harb | publisher=CBC | date=20 May 2016 | access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref>
On December 6, 2012, Harb was named in relation to the [[Canadian Senate expenses scandal]] due to expenses for a property in [[Pembroke, Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/568714/a-look-at-key-dates-in-the-evolution-of-the-senate-expense-claim-controversy/|title=Timeline: Key dates in the evolution of the Senate expense-claim controversy &#124; Globalnews.ca|website=Global News}}</ref> In May 2013, the Senate Internal Economy Committee found that Harb had incorrectly claimed $51,482.92 of living and travel expenses and ordered him to repay it, which was done by July 5, 2013.<ref name="Harb repays $51K ">{{cite web | url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/07/04/pol-mac-harb-senate-repayment.html?cmp=rss | title=Senator Mac Harb repays $51K in expenses | publisher=CBC | date=4 July 2013 | access-date=15 July 2013}}</ref> The committee had earlier advised Harb to repay $231,000 of claimed expenses dating back to 2005 to avoid an extensive audit into his finances.<ref name="Harb repays $51K " /> Harb stated that his repayment was done "under protest" since he intended to challenge the validity of the committee's findings in the Ontario Divisional Court.<ref name="Harb repays $51K " /> On August 26, 2013, he repaid a further $180,166.17, for a total reimbursement of $231,649.07, after which he resigned his Senate seat.<ref name="Senate scandal: Mac Harb resigns">{{cite web | url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/08/26/senate_scandal_mac_harb_resigns.html | title=Senate scandal: Mac Harb resigns | publisher=Toronto Star | date=26 August 2013 | access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref> In February 2014, Harb was charged with fraud and breach of trust in connection with these expense claims.<ref name="Mac Harb, Patrick Brazeau charged with fraud in Senate scandal ">{{cite news | url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mac-harb-patrick-brazeau-face-fraud-related-charges-in-senate-scandal/article16680901/ | title=Mac Harb, Patrick Brazeau charged with fraud in Senate scandal | work=[[CBC News]] | date=4 February 2016 | access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref> Those charges were later withdrawn by the Crown in May 2016, after the acquittal of Senator [[Mike Duffy]] on his own expense-related criminal charges.<ref name="Criminal charges dropped against former senator Mac Harb ">{{cite news | url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/criminal-charges-dropped-against-former-senator-mac-harb/article30104970/ | title=Criminal charges dropped against former senator Mac Harb | publisher=CBC | date=20 May 2016 | access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==

Latest revision as of 11:44, 17 February 2024

The Honourable
Mac Harb
Senator for Ontario
In office
September 9, 2003 – August 26, 2013
Appointed byJean Chrétien
MP for Ottawa Centre
In office
November 21, 1988 – September 8, 2003
Preceded byMichael Cassidy
Succeeded byEd Broadbent
Personal details
Born (1953-11-10) November 10, 1953 (age 70)
Chaat, Lebanon
NationalityCanadian
Political partyIndependent (May 10, 2013-August 26, 2013)
Liberal Party of Canada (September 9, 2003-May 9, 2013)
OccupationPolitician, engineer, professor

Mac Harb (born November 10, 1953) is a former Canadian politician, who served successively in local Ottawa positions, as a Member of the House of Commons, and as a Senator for Ontario.[1][2] He resigned his seat as Senator in 2013 amidst the Canadian Senate expenses scandal.[3]

Life and career[edit]

Harb was born in Chaat, Lebanon, and emigrated to Canada to study at the University of Ottawa in 1973. He subsequently worked as an engineer at Northern Telecom and a professor at Algonquin College in Ottawa. Harb was elected to Ottawa City Council in 1985 and served as deputy mayor in 1987 and 1988.[2]

He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1988 federal election as the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Ottawa Centre. He supported Jean Chrétien's bid to succeed John Turner as leader of the Liberal Party in 1990 and remained a Chrétien loyalist throughout his career as an MP.[2]

In September 2003, Harb was appointed to the Senate of Canada on Chrétien's recommendation.[2]

In March 2009, Harb attempted to introduce a bill that would have limited the East Coast seal hunt to only those with aboriginal treaty rights. No senator seconded his motion to introduce the bill, something that other senators could not recall happening in over two decades.[4] He also attempted to introduce a bill in June 2011 that would outlaw commercial seal hunting, and had introduced a third bill against the seal hunt in May 2012. PETA subsequently honoured him as their "Canadian Person of the Year".[2][5]

Local Ottawa politics[edit]

After the 1991 Ottawa municipal election, Harb, who was a Liberal MP and had supported fiscally conservative, pro-business candidate Jacquelin Holzman, admitted to "quietly encourag[ing]" Marc Laviolette to enter the race to split the vote, because he "couldn't stomach Smith's left-wing social agenda" and the thought of Nancy Smith winning.[6]

Senate expense scandal[edit]

Main article: Canadian Senate expenses scandal

On December 6, 2012, Harb was named in relation to the Canadian Senate expenses scandal due to expenses for a property in Pembroke, Ontario.[7] In May 2013, the Senate Internal Economy Committee found that Harb had incorrectly claimed $51,482.92 of living and travel expenses and ordered him to repay it, which was done by July 5, 2013.[8] The committee had earlier advised Harb to repay $231,000 of claimed expenses dating back to 2005 to avoid an extensive audit into his finances.[8] Harb stated that his repayment was done "under protest" since he intended to challenge the validity of the committee's findings in the Ontario Divisional Court.[8] On August 26, 2013, he repaid a further $180,166.17, for a total reimbursement of $231,649.07, after which he resigned his Senate seat.[3] In February 2014, Harb was charged with fraud and breach of trust in connection with these expense claims.[9] Those charges were later withdrawn by the Crown in May 2016, after the acquittal of Senator Mike Duffy on his own expense-related criminal charges.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "ParlInfo Has Moved". lop.parl.ca.
  2. ^ a b c d e J. Patrick Boyer. Our Scandalous Senate Volume 1 of Point of View. Dundurn, 2014. chapter 3; pp. 58 to 60. ISBN 9781459723672.
  3. ^ a b "Senate scandal: Mac Harb resigns". Toronto Star. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  4. ^ "Seal hunt ban gets icy reception in Senate". CBCNews. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  5. ^ Robin Levinson (27 December 2012). "Harb accepts PETA award for his efforts to stop 'inhumanity' of the seal hunt". Ottawa Citizen.
  6. ^ "Article clipped from the Ottawa Citizen". The Ottawa Citizen. 30 November 1991. p. 1.
  7. ^ "Timeline: Key dates in the evolution of the Senate expense-claim controversy | Globalnews.ca". Global News.
  8. ^ a b c "Senator Mac Harb repays $51K in expenses". CBC. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  9. ^ "Mac Harb, Patrick Brazeau charged with fraud in Senate scandal". CBC News. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Criminal charges dropped against former senator Mac Harb". CBC. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2017.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mac_Harb&oldid=1208412655"