A series of profane and personal social media posts by Liberal-appointed Sen. Charles Adler targeting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has prompted renewed questions about whether the Senate's ethics rules governing public conduct are being applied consistently.Blacklock's Reporter says the issue comes despite a 2019 ethics ruling that senators are held to a higher standard of behaviour than ordinary Canadians because of the public responsibilities attached to their office."The minimum standard of conduct tolerated in the community is not necessarily the same standard of behaviour that a senator must adhere to," then-Senate Ethics Officer Pierre Legault wrote in a 2019 inquiry report.Legault added that while senators should enjoy broad freedom of expression, "this right does not entail that senators have an unlimited right to speak on every issue."The current Senate Ethics Officer declined to comment on whether Adler's recent posts violate the Senate's Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code.Posting from his official social media account, Adler has repeatedly criticized Poilievre with personal insults, referring to him as a "desperate loser," a "dud" and "the worst bullsh--ter on the planet."In a May 29 post, Adler accused the Conservative leader of taking pleasure in Canada's economic problems."Nothing makes Mr. Poilievre enjoy life like seeing Canadian economic suffering," Adler wrote. "There's a word for this, sadism.".On July 10, Adler posted: "Nobody likes a loser. Somebody needs to tell him to go away."In another post on July 3, Adler wrote that Conservatives felt as though they were "trapped in a slaughterhouse."On July 8, he posted: "Canadian riddle: How do you receive 10,000 obituaries without having to die? Become Pierre Poilievre."Adler has also referred to Poilievre as "a pathetic Republican wannabe," "Mr. Sour Grapes," "Canada's most negative person" and a habitual liar.In June, he reposted another user's criticism of Poilievre and added that only "hyper partisans and other fools" believed the Conservative leader's perceived "creep factor" could be rehabilitated.Adler's criticism has also extended to Conservative supporters.In separate posts, he described some Conservative voters as "dumber than a bag of Fritos" and called Alberta separatism "the dumbest fecking idea ever."The Senate's Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code states that senators must uphold "the highest standards of dignity inherent to the position of senator" and refrain from conduct that could reflect adversely on either their office or the institution itself.The code also requires senators to carry out their parliamentary duties with "dignity, honour and integrity.".Legault's 2019 ruling emphasized that senators voluntarily adopted a higher standard of conduct to protect public confidence in the Senate."A loss of confidence or respect in the office of senator or the Senate will have an adverse effect on the senator's credibility, which in turn will have an impact on the ability of all senators to carry out their functions effectively," he wrote.The 2019 report arose from complaints involving then-senator Lynne Beyak, whose publication of constituent letters about Indian Residential Schools was found to have breached the Senate's ethics code.Legault concluded at the time that while senators retain freedom of expression, that right does not shield them from the consequences of violating the chamber's ethical standards.Beyak resigned from the Senate in 2021 after issuing two public apologies and completing two rounds of mandatory sensitivity training.
