Pamela Wallin's treatment 'completely unfair,' Senate colleague says

Senator Hugh Segal admits he has a personal interest but he argues that his friend, Pamela Wallin, isn't being treated fairly by some of her Senate colleagues.

The two go back a long way. He was a regular on her political panel when she was the host of CTV's Canada A.M. in the '80s.

Now he is Wallin's most vocal and enthusiastic supporter and defender as she navigates the fallout from audits of the expense claims of some senators.

Wallin complied with a Senate order to repay more than $140,000, including interest, in September for claims largely related to travel. Wallin has called the audit process "flawed and unfair" but agreed to comply with its conclusions.

Now the Senate is moving to suspend Wallin and Senators Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau without pay. The motions cite "gross negligence" in how the senators used their parliamentary resources.

Segal says Wallin has done everything asked of her.

"The notion that we would move to a sentencing process, which this motion is ... is just completely unfair and a violation of every principle of fairness," he said Friday in an interview with CBC News.

"Some folks think the best way to deal with these problems is to throw everybody under the bus. Well guess what? You're going to run out of buses and you're going to run out of people."

Late Friday, Wallin's lawyer said she is considering legal action to fight the Senate's effort to suspend her.

What is her friend and colleague Segal advising her to do?

The CBC's Kathleen Petty spoke with Senator Hugh Segal about what happens next. Watch the edited interview above.