The Ontario Liberal Party has come under fire for disclosing details of an all-party search to find the province's next ombudsman.

The Conservatives and NDP are accusing the government of sabotaging the process by divulging details to the news media that were supposed to be kept private.

NDP MPP Peter Kormos argues this constitutes contempt of parliament.

"I just find this an extremely troubling thing, when a process like this has to be kept pristine," he told the legislature.

Great strides have been made over the last 15 years to "de-politicize" the process of hiring government watchdogs by having all parties agree on who should get the job, Kormos said.

Kormos's complaint comes after the government confirmed that a committee with the job of deciding Andre Marin's fate as ombudsman can't agree on who should get the job.

There are also reports that the government is eager to oust the confrontational Marin in favour of former Liberal MP Susan Whelan and have mounted a campaign to discredit him by questioning his expenses.

Conservative John Yakabuski suggested the Liberals are under orders to undermine Marin.

"No one there so much as blows their nose without the consent of the premier's office," he told the legislature.

Liberal house leader Monique Smith, who flatly denied that the Liberals want to install Whelan, said Kormos also made public comments about the hiring process on numerous occasions.

Kormos went public last year with his concern about the government reappointment of privacy and information commissioner Ann Cavoukian, Smith added.

"There's been much discussion in the public sector, in the public domain, about the appointment process," she told the legislature.

Speaker Steve Peters said he will review Kormos's complaint.