The House

Senator James Cowan is 'determined to make the Senate a better place', but is it too late?

Senate Opposition leader James Cowan discusses the explosive leaks from the upcoming expenses report by the Auditor General, and defends his own spending issues.
Senator James Cowan, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, is one of 30 current and former senators found to have inappropriate expense claims by the Auditor General. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

It's another massive blow to the reputation of the Red Chamber -- two sitting senators being investigated by the RCMP, along with seven retired senators, for "big problems" with ineligible expenses. Another 21 senators have been found to have less serious issues, but could still face investigation.

Even the three most powerful figures at the top -- Senate Speaker Leo Housakos, government leader Claude Carignan and Opposition leader James Cowan -- can't escape with clean hands. All three have also been flagged with inappropriate expenses.

The Senate is left reeling...and scrambling for damage control before the report is released publicly next week. Will the Senate recover, or is this the final death blow for an institution already battling claims of corruption, self-interest and scandal?

The Senate's Opposition leader, Liberal Senator James Cowan, sits down with The House to talk accountability and the Senate's next steps.