North Vancouver MP Andrew Saxton and his father, a Vancouver businessman, both testified this week at the Ottawa trial of suspended senator Mike Duffy, who has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery related to a Senate expense scandal.
Both Saxton and his father, Andrew Saxton Sr., testified about a lunch meeting between Duffy and several of the Saxtons’ business friends at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on Jan 3, 2011.
The two-hour meeting was recorded by Duffy as the only official Senate business during a six-day trip to B.C. between Dec. 30, 2011 and Jan. 4, 2012, which was otherwise spent with his family. Duffy submitted an expense claim of almost $4,500 for the trip.
The Saxtons were among several witnesses called this week as Crown lawyers probed the extent to which Duffy’s travel expenses could be related to legitimate Senate business versus personal travel on the taxpayers’ dime.
Crown prosecutors have accused Duffy of filing travel expense claims for trips that weren’t related to parliamentary work.
According to testimony Wednesday from Andrew Saxton Jr. and Sr., the lunch at the yacht club — attended by four business friends — was set up at Duffy’s request.
Saxton described the meeting as a pre-budget consultation but couldn’t recall specific items discussed that eventually made it into the budget.
He said no notes were taken because the venue was a private club where people weren’t supposed to bring out work papers.
Duffy’s calendar also contained an entry for a meeting with Saxton at The Keg restaurant the night before, for which he submitted a $400 expense claim. Saxton testified he didn’t recall that meeting.
Two years later, when he was already embroiled in the Senate expense scandal, Duffy sent an email to the elder Saxton, recalling the “great luncheon at your club” and describing it as “one of the highlights of my (now interrupted) Senate career.”
In the email, Duffy referred to the RCMP investigation, saying he was hoping “the entire thing will be declared political and be allowed to slip away.
“I am hopeful that this will all resolve itself soon, and I will be able to return to the Senate,” Duffy wrote.
The elder Saxton said he didn’t reply to the email because he didn’t want to get involved. The trial is continuing in Ottawa.
– with files from the Victoria Times Colonist
