Patrick Brazeau

Patrick Brazeau (born November 11, 1974) is a Canadian senator from Quebec.

At the age of 34, he was and is the youngest member of the Senate during his appointment.

Brazeau joined the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) in 2001 and was elected vice-chief in April 2005.

From February 2006 until January 2009 he held the position of national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.

He acted as national chief from February 2006 until his election later in November of the same year.

He is a member of CAP's affiliate, Alliance Autochtone du Quebec Inc. also known as the Native Alliance of Quebec, or the AAQ or NAQ.

Brazeau pursued a very vocal strategy to obtain repeal of Section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act as his CAP vision.

His position was that Section 67 impeded the individual human rights of aboriginals by its insistence that communal Indian Act rights superseded the CHRA.

In this position he was supported by editorials of the National Post and the Globe and Mail.

Brazeau endorsed passage of Bill C-21 as a step toward reform of Aboriginal governance, suggesting on 20 June 2008 that the extension of human rights protection “will ultimately lead to the dismantling of the Indian Act.”

On December 22, 2008, Brazeau was appointed to the Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"In December 2008, I was honoured by my nomination to the Senate of Canada by the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper. Such an appointment is a great privilege and affords me the considerable opportunity to continue my public service to Canada. My goal is and has always been to serve Canada’s Aboriginal peoples and my country to the best of my skills and abilities, in a manner that is accountable, responsible and transparent. I am committed to bringing this same discipline to my role as a Senator in the Parliament of Canada. To this end, I have decided to step down from my position as National Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples effective immediately. I am eager to fully embrace my new role and to contribute to the important work of the Senate of Canada. I am committed to continuing my advancement of Aboriginal issues and opportunities across Canada. Further, I relish the opportunity to build upon the achievements of Prime Minister Harper’s government."

In addition, he has faced allegations regarding the spending of funds received by the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples for aboriginal health programs.

He was sworn in as a senator on January 8, 2009.

Brazeau resigned from his position of national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples on January 9, 2009, issuing the following statement on the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples' website:

The Globe and Mail reported on January 19, 2009, that Health Canada auditors rejected almost $260,000 in congress expenses out of a budget of $472,900 allocated to the congress by the ministry, alleging that much of the money had been spent on board meetings where health issues were not discussed.

Conservative Party spokesman Kory Teneycke indicated that the alleged misspending occurred before Brazeau became chief of the organization, and that Brazeau took steps to address the problem once he took over the leadership.

Brazeau did in fact have poor attendance on the Senate floor: the Senate attendance register showed that he was absent for 25% of the Senate's 72 sittings between June 2011 and April 2012.

He was also absent for 31% of the meetings of the human rights committee, where he is deputy-chair, and for 65% of meetings at the Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, on which he sits.

On March 31, 2012, Brazeau lost in a celebrity boxing match to Liberal MP (and future Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau.

Brazeau has stated that he would like a rematch with Trudeau but Trudeau declined to participate in another boxing match.

On June 26, 2012, Brazeau came under fire after attacking Canadian Press journalist Jennifer Ditchburn via his official Twitter account.

Brazeau publicly called Ditchburn a "bitch" after she reported on his poor Senate attendance record.

Brazeau was expelled from the Conservative caucus following his February 7, 2013 arrest for domestic assault and sexual assault.

On September 15, 2015, Brazeau pleaded guilty to simple assault and cocaine possession as part of a plea deal in which other assault charges were dropped, and he was acquitted of sexual assault.

On October 28, 2015, he was granted an absolute discharge by a Quebec court; he was thus not incarcerated and avoided having a criminal record.

On May 30, 2015, Brazeau acted as a guest referee at a Great North Wrestling event at the Earl Armstrong Arena in Ottawa.

Brazeau ended up getting bodyslammed through a table during the course of the match.

However, Brazeau remained suspended until September 2016, when separate charges of fraud and breach of trust related to his disallowed expense claims were withdrawn by the Crown.

Brazeau is an Algonquin from the Kitigan Zibi reserve near Maniwaki.

He worked at HMCS Carleton, a Royal Canadian Naval Reserve unit based in Ottawa that operates under the Canadian Forces Maritime Command.

Brazeau earned a Quebec Diploma of College Studies in social sciences from CEGEP Heritage College (Gatineau) and studied, but dropped out of, civil law at the University of Ottawa.

Fluent in both official Canadian languages, English and French, Brazeau's language preference is French.

In the early hours of January 19, 2016, Brazeau was admitted to hospital in critical but stable condition after he was found seriously injured in his home.

The Quebec provincial police issued a statement indicating Brazeau's injuries did not appear related to criminal activity, and the Hull hospital released a statement saying his injuries were treated by successful surgery and were not considered life-threatening.

On February 24, 2016, reports came out that Brazeau was hospitalized because of a suicide attempt in his house.

Brazeau has been a proponent of Bill S-254, sponsoring its introduction to the Senate in November, 2022.

The Bill, if passed, would require health warning labels on all alcohol bottles to warn consumers about the potential risks of drinking.

Brazeau was criticized for stating his intention to accept a seat in the Senate and concurrently remain national chief of the CAP thus collecting two publicly funded six-figure salaries; a decision from which he subsequently retreated by resigning as CAP chief.

He has also come under fire over a sexual harassment complaint made against him to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and for allegedly condoning heavy drinking during business hours.