OTTAWA—Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he feels disappointed over Senator Patrick Brazeau being arrested on assault charges, but but defended his choice to make him a parliamentarian.

“It is extremely appalling and disappointing and we all feel very let down, but obviously that should not obscure the fact that most people in the Senate work very hard and take their responsibilities very seriously,” the prime minister told reporters in Vancouver Friday after Brazeau, 38, was released on bail after being charged with assault and sexual assault in relation to an incident at his Gatineau, Que., home.

The prime minister then defended his choice to bring Brazeau into the Senate — and the Conservative fold — just over four years ago, pointing out that, at the time, he was national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, an organization representing southern Inuit, Métis and non-status Indians who do not live on reserves.

“Obviously, over a recent period, something has been going very wrong and that is the reason for this situation that has developed and that situation will obviously now be dealt with by the courts,” said Harper, who expelled Brazeau from the Conservative caucus Thursday.

While the prime minister feels let down, Jade Harper, no relation, feels sick to her stomach.

She is the former employee of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples — she was contracted as an events co-ordinator about five years ago — who filed a grievance alleging that Brazeau allowed staff to consume alcohol in his office and that she was exploited by a senior employee.

The 29-year-old believes the warning flags were there long ago and she thinks the prime minister should take some responsibility for having appointed a man his office already knew was the source of some trouble.

“There have been many opportunities for Patrick to take ownership of whatever it is that he needs to deal with in his personal space,” said Jade Harper (no relation to the prime minister), who first shared her grievance with the media soon after Brazeau was appointed to the Senate.

“Patrick is definitely responsible for his actions — 100 per cent — (but) along with that, Prime Minister Harper and other folks who now know about his history also have some responsibility in this,” she said in a telephone interview from Winnipeg Friday. “I feel in a way like we let this happen. We as a society watched Patrick do all these awful things over the years and people just didn’t say anything.”

Brazeau told the Star in February 2009, after she shared her allegations with the media, that the Congress took the complaint seriously and offered her mediation through a healing circle, but she returned to Winnipeg before the process was complete.

Government Senate Leader Marjory LeBreton announced Friday the Senate would put forward a motion on Tuesday to place Brazeau on leave of absence and ask the Senate Standing Committee on Internal Economy to remove his ability to access Senate resources.

Brazeau will continue to receive his $132,300 salary.

Brazeau was released on a $1,000 bond under the condition that he does not have any contact with the alleged victim — who cannot be named — or be near her home or her place of employment after appearing, represented by duty counsel, at the Gatineau courthouse Friday morning.

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He must also demonstrate good behaviour, cannot possess any firearms and must notify police of any change of address.

Brazeau also told the court that the Gatineau home where he was arrested is his principal address, which conflicts with what he has previously said while defending why he claimed living expenses for his time in Ottawa despite making his home less than 100 kilometres away.

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