A spurned Liberal candidate in the hotly contested Sudbury byelection has made public the tapes and transcripts of conversations with party operatives that he says prove he was offered a job to drop out of the nomination race.

The dramatic move by Andrew Olivier — now running as an independent in the Feb. 5 vote — follows an OPP investigation into allegations he was enticed to step aside as a potential Liberal candidate.

“Voters, pundits and others can listen for themselves,” Olivier, a quadriplegic who records conversations because he cannot take notes, said Thursday in Sudbury.

The tapes have prompted the Progressive Conservatives to push the OPP to re-open the probe in addition to an investigation by Elections Ontario.

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Peter Leon on Monday said, “We have conducted an investigation and we concluded no criminal offence took place,”

Premier Kathleen Wynne’s office repeated denials that any rewards were offered to Olivier to clear the way for defecting Sudbury New Democrat MP Glenn Thibeault to secure the Liberal nomination.

Olivier had hoped to return as the Liberal candidate after coming within 980 votes of winning the riding in the June 12 provincial election, which saw New Democrat Joe Cimino take the seat before abruptly quitting in November.

Olivier said offers came in conversations with Sudbury Liberal organizer Gerry Lougheed — who helped lure Thibeault into quitting the NDP caucus in Ottawa to run for Wynne — and Ontario Liberal Party campaign head Pat Sorbara.

Both told Olivier that Wynne and the party felt Thibeault had a better shot at winning the riding, but said they hoped he would be a team player and stay involved.

Lougheed did not respond to a voicemail from the Star requesting comment on the transcripts.

Wynne’s office issued a seven-paragraph statement saying the tapes show ways Olivier could “remain involved in the party or in matters related to his own personal and stated interests.”

“Any suggestion that anything was offered in exchange for any action is false,” said the statement issued by Wynne’s press secretary, Lyndsay Miller.

“Olivier had already been informed that he would not be the candidate. Pat Sorbara has been vindicated of the false allegations,” the statement added.

The first tape, made before Wynne’s bombshell announcement about Thibeault in December, begins with Lougheed saying “the premier wants to talk.”

“They would like to present you options in terms of appointments, jobs, whatever, that you and her and Pat Sorbara could talk about.”

The statement from Wynne’s office said: “Lougheed is not government or Liberal Party staff, he speaks for himself.”

After talking with Wynne — Olivier did not release a tape or transcript — Olivier spoke with Sorbara.

“There’s lots of options that we can sit down and talk about,” she is quoted as saying. “We should have the broader discussion about what is it that you’d be most interested in doing . . . whether it’s a full-time or part-time job in a constit office, whether it is appointments, supports or commissions, whether it is also going on the exec, there are lots . . . .”

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

At Queen’s Park, NDP House leader Gilles Bisson told reporters “offers were made, contrary to what the Liberals had said,” and encouraged Elections Ontario investigators to listen to the tapes.

Bisson noted Section 61 of the Election Act states it is illegal to “directly or indirectly . . . give, procure or promise or agree to procure an office or employment to induce a person to become a candidate, refrain from becoming a candidate or withdraw his or her candidacy.”

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Olivier said earlier this week he refused to release tapes or transcripts to the OPP without a warrant or subpoena.

A new poll from Forum Research suggests the byelection is a tight fight between New Democrats candidate Suzanne Shawbonquit and Thibeault, with Olivier trailing at one per cent support, well below the Conservative and Green Party candidates.

Prior to last June’s election, the riding had been held by veteran Liberal MPP and cabinet minister Rick Bartolucci for almost two decades.

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