Former Calgary Senator Ron Ghitter has reached an out of court settlement in a defamation suit against a member of parliament and a former member of the Reform Party.

Ghitter's suit against Canadian Alliance MP Rob Anders and Ezra Levant, a former assistant to Preston Manning, was to go to court on Monday.

Ghitter, claimed that a Reform party fund-raising letter made false accusations about his Senate attendance record and expenses.

He says the letter also unfairly portrayed him as anti-Albertan and against Senate reform. Ghitter says he developed a thick skin during his political career, but Levant and Anders stepped over the line. "Sometimes you have to draw a line in the sand and you've got to say, 'You've gone too far'," says Ghitter.

"When you move into character assassination and mean-sprited unsavoury remarks that are false then people in political life like myself have to stand up and say you've gone too far .. this is unacceptable," he says.

Ghitter says in addition to the apology, Anders and Levant will also make donations to two local charities.

He says now it's time for the former leader of the Reform Party to issue an apology of his own.

Ghitter says Preston Manning supported and encouraged Levant and Anders.