For years, Frank magazine stuck it to the Canadian political establishment with sharp wit and no mercy.

Now, with an expense scandal swirling on Parliament Hill around Senator Mike Duffy and others, the man behind the Ottawa edition of the satirical magazine says the time is right for the publication to be resurrected online.

Years before he became a senator, Duffy was a frequent target of the magazine, which he sued for libel and defamation.

As It Happens speaks to Michael Bate, the founder and former — and possibly future — publisher and editor of Frank. Bate ran the publication from 1989 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2008.