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OTTAWA 鈥� The Senate Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators Committee is recommending that Sen. Lynn Beyak be suspended without pay from the Senate for the remainder of this Parliament after refusing to remove racist letters about Indigenous people from her website.

鈥淵our committee finds Senator Beyak鈥檚 conduct wanting in several ways, including: her failure to recognize 鈥� or decision not to acknowledge 鈥� that the content of the letters in question is racist,鈥� says

This does not mean she has been suspended. The Senate as a whole has to vote on this recommendation and the others made in the report before they are acted on. There are around eight weeks left before the end of this Parliament.

If Beyak decides to speak to this report, the vote on her suspension can be taken immediately afterwards, but if she does not speak a vote can happen within five sitting days, and must happen within 15 sitting days, Sen. Peter Harder鈥檚 office confirmed.

鈥淵our committee is of the view that suspension is particularly appropriate where the breach of the Code is such that the Senator whose conduct is at issue would benefit from time away from the Senate to gain further perspective,鈥� the report states. It also references their 鈥減rofound disappointment鈥� with Beyak鈥檚 conduct, 鈥渨hich reflects negatively on her, all senators, and the Senate as a whole.鈥�

The recommended terms of her suspension include: not being reimbursed for any living or travel expenses; and that she not be able to claim any other services, telecommunications costs or benefits during her suspension. Though the committee is recommending that she be able to continue to access Senate resources in relation to life, health, and dental insurance.

The committee comprised of Beyak鈥檚 peers made the recommendations after the Senate Ethics Officer found that Beyak broke the upper chamber鈥檚 code and did not act with dignity or integrity in posting these offensive letters.

In addition to Beyak鈥檚 suspension, the committee is also recommending that:

• Unless she does it herself, Senate administration remove the five letters found to have racist content;
• Beyak attend educational programs about racism towards Indigenous people and the history of Crown-Indigenous relations, at her own expense;
• The Clerk of the Senate brief her on her role and responsibilities as a senator and the limitations of that, at her own expense; and
• That she apologize to the Senate in writing and that apology be made public on the main Senate web page.

Crown Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett is commending the Senate on its call for Beyak to be sanctioned. She鈥檚 been keeping a tally of how many days it鈥檚 been since Beyak was told to take the racist letters down, and tweeting about it with the hashtag #takedownthehate.

鈥淪he needs to apologize. She needs to take training on the issues around cultural safety and Indigenous awareness at her own expense. And it she doesn鈥檛 take the letters down then the IT department of the Senate will take them down for her,鈥� Bennett said.

Indigenous Sen. Murray Sinclair, who prior to being appointed to the Senate chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said the recommended reprimands are 鈥渁ppropriate.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 now for the Senate to act,鈥� he told reporters Tuesday afternoon. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a reasonable report, reasonable set of recommendations and I think most senators are reasonable.鈥�

In its report the committee noted that it considered 鈥淏eyak鈥檚 seeming unwillingness to understand or recognize that racism is unacceptable, that her actions fall far short of the higher standards expected of senators.鈥�

The report also noted her 鈥渦nwillingness鈥� to participate in the committee鈥檚 review other than issuing a statement, and accept the remediation measures the Senate Ethics Officer recommended, such as removing the letters and issuing a formal apology.

Her letters have been a point of controversy for over a year, after facing considerable backlash from Indigenous groups and the broader Canadian public for declaring that 鈥渟ome good鈥� came from Canada鈥檚 residential schools. She has also suggested that First Nations should 鈥渢rade in鈥� their status cards for Canadian citizenship. Indigenous people who were born in Canada are Canadian citizens.

The notes deemed to be particularly problematic are among around 100 letters Beyak posted in defence of her position on Indigenous history and rights. It appears that she has resumed her practice of posting similar material. Within the last week Beyak has added two new letters to her web page; one titled 鈥淲hiteout鈥� is from a Winnipeg man who raises questions about 鈥渘ame changing based on hurt feelings.鈥� The other, about Orange Shirt Day鈥攆ocused on the experience of students at residential schools鈥攖hanks her for 鈥渄rawing attention to the other side of the story of residential schools.鈥�

She was removed from the Conservative caucus for refusing to remove the comments from her Senate-funded web page.

CTV News has reached out to Beyak鈥檚 office for comment.