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On Jan. 14, 2006, during the federal election campaign that would ultimately result in a Conservative victory, Mr. Vellacott was appearing on a Shaw TV special when Mr. Laliberte called in with the question “Were you also removed from the North Park Church because you were charged with sexual assault on your secretary?”

In a follow-up news release, Mr. Vellacott noted that he had never been charged with sexual assault or even been a member of the church — and then he took Mr. Laliberte to court.

In 2012, the MP was awarded $5,000. “Falsely accusing someone of being charged with sexual assault is reprehensible,” Justice Martel Popescul wrote in his 16-page judgment released in January 2013.

But in Mr. Vellacott’s latest statement, he seems to assert that Mr. Laliberte was simply a patsy for the Liberal party.

“Mr. Laliberte, a man of modest means, education and unpretentious demeanor, states that he was provided the question in the form of a note by the 2006 Saskatoon-Wanuskewin Liberal campaign manager, who asked him to make the call and read the note,” his office wrote in a statement.

“Foolishly, Mr. Laliberte did as he was asked,” it continued.

In a statement filed with the Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench last week, Mr. Laliberte is suing his lawyers, alleging that the pair had no contact with him about the case until the Saskatoon StarPhoenix called him with the surprising news that he had lost — and that he now owed $5,000.

“I thought they had dealt with it,” he said.

Mr. Laliberte has previously made the same complaint to the Law Society of Saskatchewan.

National Post, with files from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix

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