Lavigne first ran as a Liberal candidate for the House of Commons of Canada in the Quebec riding of Verdun—Saint-Paul at the 1988 election but was unsuccessful.
[2] On August 14, 2007, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who had been investigating allegations raised concerning the misuse of funds for the last year, laid criminal charges against Lavigne: fraud over $5,000, breach of trust and obstruction of justice.
[5] Closing arguments took place on September 17, 2010,[6] having been rescheduled from July 2010 to allow Lavigne to obtain trial transcripts.
[8] A final ruling was scheduled to be issued on February 22, 2011,[9] but the court instead heard argument on how much weight should be given to Senate report on expenses spending.
[13] Under Rules 138–139,[13] he will not receive a sessional allowance or various perquisites to which senators are entitled; it is not clear whether his salary will be affected by the suspension.