Andy Thompson (Canadian Politician) - Senator

Senator

Thompson was named to the Canadian Senate on April 6, 1967. His time in the Senate was relatively uneventful. He kept a low profile but was exposed as having the worst attendance of any currently sitting Senator. Thompson claimed he was unable to attend Senate sessions due to illness, but continued to draw his salary by showing up for a few days at the beginning of each session. Thompson had technically not violated any Senate rules, as he has not yet missed two complete consecutive sittings and produced medical certificates for his absence.

With growing media attention on Thompson's lengthy absences from the red chamber, the Reform Party made Thompson's absence a cause celebre, repeatedly pointing to the fact that he was living in Mexico. Reform Members of Parliament hired a Mariachi band and served burritos in the lobby of the Senate to draw attention to the issue. Thompson was held up as an example of why the Senate needed to be reformed.

The resulting furor resulted in Thompson being expelled from the Liberal caucus on November 19, 1997. The Senate first voted to strip him of his privileges and other perks. Later they found Thompson in contempt of the upper chamber for not complying with orders to return to Ottawa to explain his attendance record, resulting in his suspension of his $64,400 salary and $10,100 tax-free expense allowance. In December 1997, Thompson lost his Senate office and other privileges. Some Senators disagree with the suspension, arguing that it was too lenient and that he should have been expelled from the chamber instead. He resigned on March 23, 1998, 20 months ahead of his scheduled retirement, and was entitled to a pension of $48,000.

The media's exposure of Thompson's attendance and his colleagues' tolerance of it led the Senate to toughen the rules governing its members and sick leave while also increasing the financial penalties for missing too many sittings during a session.