OPP investigation leads to criminal charges in relation to Sudbury byelection

In addition to the violating the Criminal Code, a conviction under the bribery section of the Election Act carries a penalty of up to $5,000.

Lougheed is expected to appear in Sudbury court on November 18.

As my colleague Ashley Csanady reports from Queen’s Park, Lougheed’s been charged with “counselling an offence not committed” (that is, urging Olivier to take a job he didn’t take) and “unlawfully influencing or negotiating an appointment”.

The premier, Lougheed and Sorbara each personally appealed to Olivier to rally behind Thibeault’s appointment for the good of the party. Just sometimes, you know, he might occasionally speak for himself on behalf of the Premier.

OPP investigators questioned Wynne in April about Olivier’s allegations against Lougheed and Sorbara, but despite opposition demands the premier never removed Sorbara from her office.

“As I have previously indicated if charged I would step aside from the Sudbury Regional Police Services Board and my position as chancellor of Huntington University until this matter is resolved”.

She has said in the past, however, that she didn’t authorize anyone to offer Olivier a job in exchange for withdrawing his candidacy to represent the Liberals in the February byelection.

“This has been a very uncommon investigation”, said the statement from the OPP’s anti-rackets branch, which began the criminal probe in January. Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called on the Premier to be honest with Ontarians about whose authority Mr. Lougheed was acting under.

“We heard what Gerry Lougheed said”. Was it somebody in her office?

Thibeault subsequently won the byelection for the Liberals, taking back the Sudbury riding they had lost to the New Democrats in the 2014 general election. But Olivier released tapes of critical conversations with him and with Sorbara that shed quite a lot of light on the distinctions between Lougheed’s involvement and Sorbara’s.

“The premier wants to talk. Did she tell Gerry Lougheed to do this?” Who is it that told Gerry Lougheed to make the offer to Andrew Olivier?

Those were references to positions in an MPP’s constituency office and on the Liberal party executive.

Weeks later, Olivier – who ran as independent in the byelection finishing third – went public with his concerns.

“I have no further comments at this time as this matter is now before the courts”, he said in a press release.

And right about the time Wynne faced calls to resign in question period, federal New Democrats issued a media release highlighting Lougheed’s “deep connections” to Trudeau.

“I don’t think there’s anything tainting my work that I’m doing for the people of Sudbury”, he said.