There is a report this morning that top Tories in the Senate were well aware as of last year that Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu had entered into a relationship with his government-paid assistant.  

La Presse says there was some unease about the relationship, given that the Senate's hiring rules are clear on the issue of favouritism.  They are less clear, however, when the couple in question gets together after the hire.  

For his part, Boisvenu is refusing to comment, saying his relationships are his private business.  

Before being appointed to the Senate, Boisvenu made a name for himself as a victims' rights advocate after his daughter was murdered in 2002.