From Queen’s Park by Sylvia Jones MPP — Jones requests Deputy Chief of Staff’s resignation

October 5, 2015 · 0 Comments

Last week, the OPP announced that Liberal fundraiser Gerry Lougheed Jr. has been charged for his involvement in the Sudbury byelection scandal.
The charges stem from his allegedly attempting to offer a job or an appointment to former Liberal candidate Andrew Olivier to not run as the Liberal candidate in the byelection. The charges against him include one count of counselling an offence not committed, and one count of unlawfully influencing or negotiating appointments.
Earlier this year, Andrew Olivier released his recordings of his conversations with Lougheed and the Premier’s Deputy Chief of Staff Pat Sorbara that allegedly show he was offered jobs in exchange for not running as the Liberal candidate. Subsequently, Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa released a report on the scandal, in which he believes Lougheed and Sorbara contravened the Elections Act. As a result, two investigations were launched by the OPP into these serious allegations.
As a result of their investigation, the OPP have charged Lougheed. The fact is there is still an ongoing investigation into whether Sorbara violated the Elections Act. The fact is she is on the recordings and she is an integral part of this investigation. We need to have assurance that what is happening in the Premier’s office is separate while this investigation is ongoing. The Premier should show leadership and ask for Sorbara’s resignation while this investigation proceeds.
Since the recent announcement by the OPP, both opposition parties have questioned the Liberal government with questions ranging from having Sorbara step down, and calling for the Premier’s resignation. I led off during Question Period demanding that the Premier remove Sorbara from her office while these charges are before the courts. However, the Premier has continued to support Sorbara and has disregarded these serious allegations against her staff.
There are an unprecedented four OPP investigations into this government’s actions, including the deletion of emails regarding the decision to cancel the Mississauga and Oakville gas plants, the Ornge Air Ambulance Service scandal and the OPP investigation into the violation of the Elections Act.