The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 12

The International News Weekly REGIONAL
03
September 15, 2017 | Toronto
Kathleen Wynne tells Patrick Brown to
withdraw comments or face legal action
The Canadian Parvasi
TORONTO: Ontario Premier
Kathleen Wynne has asked the
leader of the Opposition to retract
comments he made about her or
face legal action.
The premier's lawyers wrote
a letter to Patrick Brown on
Wednesday, saying the Progressive
Conservative leader had told
reporters that Wynne was standing
trial in a Liberal bribery case.
The letter said Wynne is not on
trial or even under investigation,
but is rather offering voluntary
testimony and co-operating
with the court process, therefore
Brown should retract the comments
and apologize.
Wynne's office made the letter
public moments before the
premier took the witness stand in
a trial in Sudbury, Ont., for two
former Liberal staffers who are
facing bribery charges under the
Election Act.
"She has gone so far as to
waive her parliamentary privilege
and will voluntarily appear
as a witness at the trial, " wrote
the premier's lawyer, Jack Siegel.
"There is a world of difference
between this high level of co-operation
and your defamatory reference
to 'when she stands trial'; she
is not on trial, and will continue
to take all necessary measures to
defend her reputation."
Brown made the comments
on Tuesday when reporters
asked him to comment about the
Sudbury trial. He said the government
was using "legislative
tricks" during debate at Queen's
Park to avoid answering questions
about the court proceedings.
"I hope that the premier will
give us answers, maybe when she
stands trial," he said. "That in itself
is astonishing, that we've got
a sitting premier, sitting in trial
answering questions about these
allegations of bribery, that in itself
is astonishing of (how) far
this government has fallen."
Brown was not available for
comment. His office did not contest
the leader's remarks, but
pointed out that he immediately
tried to clarify them when speaking
to the media.
PC deputy leader Steve Clark
said the Liberal government was
trying to distract from the premier's
testimony, which he called
"an unprecedented situation".
"The government issued a
press release before the premier
testified," Clark said. "There will
probably be other government
announcements that will distract
from the case. I'm not surprised."
Clark said the matter would
be dealt with by lawyers from
both sides. This is the second time
in a week that the Liberal government
has threatened legal action
over remarks made by a Progressive
Conservative member of the
provincial legislature about the
Sudbury trial. Last week, Bill
Walker told a local radio station
Wynne was under investigation
and facing charges in connection
with the bribery trial. Days later,
he issued a statement apologizing
for the remarks.
Deputy premier Deb Matthews
denied Tory suggestions
that the government was trying
to distract from the Sudbury trial.
"No, Patrick Brown is a lawyer,"
she said. "He knows that
what he said was inappropriate.
He knows he said it in a very,
very public forum. I don't know
why he didn't immediately correct
the record."
McMaster University political
science professor Henry
Jacek said the lawsuit threat
is basic political strategy, an
attempt to correct the record
immediately from the government.
It's also not without precedent
in politics but the cases
rarely seem to actually go to
court, he said.
" T h e y
want to get a
message out
to people that
... this is not
true," Jacek
said. "In this
case, they decided
that a
lawsuit was
the best way
to do it. I see
it more as
political communication
tactic than a
legal tactic
even though
it is a legal instrument."
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