Patrick Brazeau pleads not guilty to refusing breathalyzer

Sen. Patrick Brazeau has pleaded not guilty to a charge of refusing to submit to a breathalyzer test.

Brazeau was not in court this morning in the western Quebec community of Gatineau.

The case has been put over until Oct. 26.

The alleged incident took place on April 3.

Last year Brazeau pleaded guilty to reduced charges of assault and possession of cocaine after a more serious charge of sexual assault was dropped because the Crown said it did not have sufficient evidence. He received an unconditional discharge.

Brazeau, 41, is also facing charges of fraud and breach of trust in connection with his Senate expense claims. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges but has not been tried.

Brazeau is currently on a leave of absence from the Senate with pay.

Brazeau was suspended from the Senate without pay in 2013 along with two other senators over their Senate expenses, but that suspension was lifted when Parliament was dissolved for the 2015 federal election. Brazeau's salary was clawed back for several months to repay about $50,000 in expenses.