He would have had an unfair advantage over other candidates in an open nomination process, Andrew Olivier admitted Friday, on Day 2 of the bribery trial being held in Sudbury.
Olivier was responding to questions from lawyer Michael Lacy, representing Gerry Lougheed Jr., a former Liberal party fundraiser facing charges in the case, along with Pat Sorbara, the party's former campaign director.
Olivier went public in December 2014 with allegations Lougheed and Sorbara had tried to offer him incentives to back out of the byelection race in Sudbury, and back Glenn Thibeault.
On the first day of the trial Thursday, Lacy argued that, since the Liberals had already picked Thibeault as the candidate, Olivier couldn't be bribed into not being the candidate.
On Friday morning, Lacy tried to show that allowing an open nomination process would have meant simply handing the nomination to Olivier.
That's because Olivier ran in the June 2014 provincial election, coming close to winning, had a team together and was selling memberships. As soon as Joe Cimino resigned in November of that year, Lacy said Olivier was active on social media, restarting his campaign before the Liberal Party had given the OK.
“You were posting these things without knowing what sort of nomination it was going to be?” Lacy said to Olivier. “You wanted to be proactive.”
Yes, Olivier responded. While he knew a candidate could be appointed, he supported an open process.
“You were the only one who actively soliciting members for the purpose of an open nomination process,” Lacy said. “All with the backdrop of the party not having decided to have an open process.
"You would have had an unfair advantage over other candidates ... Do you agree with me?”
“Yes, I would have had an advantage,” Olivier testified.
Lacy also brought out a memo from party executive André Bisson, also from November 2014, which called for Olivier to be appointed or acclaimed the candidate.
“He didn't tell you that's what he was doing?” Lacy asked.
“I can't recall 100 per cent,” Oliver said. “I know he was lobbying for me.”
The memo includes support from several members of the riding association to have Olivier acclaimed as the candidate, or appointed if someone else stepped forward.
“Is your evidence that André Bisson didn't tell you ... they were lobbying for you to be the acclaimed candidate or be appointed,” Lacy asked. “They didn't share this with you?
“The lobbying he was doing was to get you appointed? The very thing you call non-democratic.”
When Olivier replied he thought he might get appointed if no one else ran, Lacy said it was already known Marianne Matichuk wanted to run.
“So how would the Liberal Party make sure no one else comes forward?” Lacy asked, without resorting to appointing a candidate.
“Mr. Olivier had people lobbying for him to do the very thing” he would later be critical of, Lacy added.
Lacy also fleshed out the nature of the offer made to him by Lougheed and Sorbara, detailing whether or not he took it to be an attempt to tempt him with money.
“You understand there was no monetary offer being made to you?” Lacy asked. “Agree or disagree?
“When you were having discussions with the premier about you endorsing Glenn Thibeault, you discussed options, being presented with appointments, being part of the Liberal team.
“But it was not in a monetary sense. Agree or disagree?"
“Correct,” Olivier replied.
“You were being offered an opportunity to have a role in the party,” Lacy continued. “Nothing was specifically offered.”
“Fair enough,” Olivier replied.
The trial continues this afternoon.
