With the Ontario Liberal government in the midst of a by-election bribery scandal, Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott wonders how the party can claim it maintains the trust of Ontarians.
“Last year’s Throne Speech contained at least one accurate statement: that in government, ‘trust is hard earned, but easily lost’,” Arnott said in Question Period on Feb. 26.
“How does the premier expect the people of Ontario to trust her when she refuses to dismiss a top aide who appears to have broken Ontario’s election law in the Sudbury by-election?”
On Feb. 19, Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer, Greg Essensa, submitted a bombshell report that found that Patricia Sorbara and Gerry Lougheed Jr. appear to have broken the Ontario Elections Act by attempting to bribe a candidate not to run in the by-election by offering a government appointment.
Sorbara serves as Wynne’s deputy chief of staff and Lougheed was appointed by the Liberal Government to the Sudbury Police Services Board.
“When Elections Ontario concludes that a provincial appointee to a Police Services Board appears to have broken the election law, which is exactly what they wrote in their report, the premier cannot pretend this is just another day at the office,” Arnott continued.
He said afterwards that the government’s continued denials give Ontarians further reason to question the Liberals’ sincerity.
“Today during Question Period, the premier claimed that there is no ‘finding’ in the Chief Electoral Officer’s report, despite it being right there in black and white,” Arnott pointed out.
In his report, Essensa stated, “Having reviewed the evidence and finding from this regulatory investigation, I am of the opinion that the actions of Gerry Lougheed Jr. and Patricia Sorbara amount to apparent contraventions of subsections 96.1(e) of the Election Act, as reflected in my attached report.”
Arnott concluded, “Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer has never before investigated a bribery allegation, much less found anyone in apparent contravention of the Elections Act.
“This is unprecedented. And it’s beyond belief that Ms. Sorbara and Mr. Lougheed would have acted without the Premier’s knowledge.”
