Former prime minister Joe Clark says the suspension of three senators over alleged âgross negligenceâ regarding their expense claims was âdangerousâ because all the facts arenât in.
In an interview with CTVâs Power Play to promote his new book, âHow We Lead: Canada in a Century of Change,â Clark said he âunderstands the impulsesâ behind the move to suspend Senators Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau without pay or access to Senate resources for the remainder of the Parliamentary session.
But, he said, âIâm concerned that it was action before the evidence was in, and I think thatâs always dangerous.â
Clark warned that the move carries a risk of setting a precedent.
âNot a precedent about bad behaviour but a precedent about independent behaviour,â Clark said.
âOur Senate after all was supposed to provide an independent point of view and at its best it has. So Iâm worried about that. And of course the other aspect of this, as others have been saying, is thereâs an awful lot of information that should be in the public domain thatâs not in the public domain about who knew what and when in the Prime Ministerâs Office.â
Clark did not reserve his criticism for the federal governmentâs move to suspend the three senators. He also questioned foreign policy decisions, the main thrust of his new book, saying âitâs time to restore some balanceâ to the file.
He said there is a role for Canada to play in areas such as mediation and conflict resolution, âthe so-called soft power things at which we used to be one of the worldâs great leaders and the Harper government shows very little interest in.â
Clark said the decision to boycott the upcoming Commonwealth meeting in Sri Lanka over that countryâs human rights record and the severing of diplomatic ties with Iran are two examples of decisions that limit Canadaâs ability to play a constructive role in world affairs.
âThe need for a trusted country that can mediate others, that can find agreement, is greater than it even was back in the post-war period,â Clark said. âSo itâs a funny field for us to be abandoning, and other countries are going to be picking up and filling the space that weâre leaving vacant.â
He praised Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird for taking âsome vigorous standsâ on issues, including the ongoing violence in Syria.
However, he said, âthe issue here really is, is it enough simply to have a principle and to state it, or do you have to go into unpleasant circumstances and fight for that principle? Thatâs what theyâre really not doing.â
In particular, Clark said, Canada needs to engage more with parties in the Middle East, particularly Iran, which will play âa major roleâ in both world and regional events âfor a long time to come.
âWeâre far better off on the ground knowing what theyâre doing, learning what theyâre doing, listening to anything they might say in confidence that they wouldnât say in public than we are being out of the play,â he said.