There was “never any implied cabinet offer” when Sudbury MPP and Energy Ministry Glenn Thibeault left the federal NDP to run for the provincial Liberals last year, the local politician told the Toronto Star yesterday.
The OPP is alleging he was bribed to run for the provincial Liberals in the February 2015 Sudbury byelection.
“Absolutely not,” Thibeault told reporters at Queen's Park on Wednesday.
“I don’t know what the allegation relates to. I’m confused by it. This was my own decision to leave federal politics and to get into provincial politics.
“It was something that I thought long and hard about and talked with my family and friends. I was very disenfranchised with where I was at in federal politics and was looking to move on.”
On Tuesday, the Ontario Provincial Police charged funeral director and fundraiser Gerry Lougheed Jr., 62, and former Liberal election director Sorbara with bribery under the Elections Act.
Lougheed faces one charge in connection to a conversation he had with former Liberal candidate Andrew Olivier in which he attempted to convince Olivier to withdraw and support Thibeault.
Sorbara is also charged with bribery in connection to attempting to get Olivier to withdraw. She's also charged with attempting to bribe Thibeault to leave the NDP and run for the Liberals. Both are expected to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury on Nov. 21.
Thibeault, who was named the province's energy minister in June, told the Toronto Star he is prepared to testify in defence of both Lougheed and Sorbara.
He said Lougheed and Sorbara made no offers of anything beyond guaranteeing he would be the party's nominee in the Feb. 5, 2015 byelection.
“I was under the impression that I had to actually show what I could do here and go from there. There was never any implied cabinet offer. There was nothing like that,” said Thibeault.
“The premier and I had a conversation about roles within government. I said I’m looking forward to being part of the government and demonstrating the skill set that I have.”
In a statement Wednesday, his lawyer, Ian R. Smith, described the allegations as “absurd.”
“I have become aware that Pat Sorbara has been charged under the Election Act in connection with the byelection my client won in Sudbury in 2015,” Smith's statement said.
“I understand that Ms. Sorbara is alleged to have corruptly induced my client to leave his position as a Federal Member of Parliament so that he could run for the provincial Liberals.
“I want to be clear – Mr. Thibeault has advised the investigators in this matter, with whom he has co-operated fully, that no such inducement was made or accepted. The assertions to the contrary are hard to credit.”
