Liberals axe candidate accused of offering job to opponent

Last Updated: Saturday, January 14, 2006 | 12:12 AM ET

CBC News

The Liberal party has dumped one of its B.C. candidates following allegations he offered an NDP candidate a job to drop out of the race and support the Liberals.

In an affidavit filed with Elections Canada, Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson alleges that Abbotsford Liberal candidate David Oliver and his campaign manager guaranteed him a win in the next municipal election, and offered him a job in Ottawa – if Oliver went on to win the election on Jan. 23.

Hours after the story came to light, the Liberal party issued a statement saying they were dropping Oliver as a candidate.

"Subsequent to consultations with the national campaign, Prime Minister Martin decided that it was in the best interests of the party that Mr. Oliver cease campaigning as a Liberal candidate and that he not sit in the Liberal caucus should he be elected," the Liberal party said in a statement.

Martin has also asked Oliver to no longer publicly identify himself as the Liberal candidate, the statement says, and directed the British Columbia Liberal campaign to repossess any Liberal party promotional material bearing Oliver's name.

Martin later addressed reporters about the incident, saying he has "zero tolerance for that kind of thing."

"I acted and that person is no longer a candidate for the Liberal party," Martin said.

Oliver denies trying to bribe Hansen-Carlsen to drop out of the election, saying the allegation doesn't make sense.

He notes Abbotsford is a strongly Conservative riding, and he maintains he would have nothing to gain if the NDP withdrew from the race.

"I do not understand why he would choose to pick on the Liberal candidate when the Conservatives are a common opponent to both of our parties."

In the affidavit, Hansen-Carlson says that Oliver and his campaign manager Gordy Kahlon came to see him on Tuesday night.

"I was shocked when Mr. Khalon spoke, 'I hear you have civic aspirations?' Immediately I knew the meeting was set up to bribe me, but for what I was not sure," he said in the affidavit.

POLLS OPEN

Advance polls are open Friday, Saturday and Monday across the country. You can find your poll location by contacting Election Canada or by checking your voter information card.

"If I was to sell out the NDP they guaranteed me a win in the next local general election and they also said a job in Ottawa would be waiting for me if Mr. Oliver did in fact win the riding," Hansen-Carlson said.

"They also discussed that I would be a 'hero', that the option to join the Liberal Party would always be there, and that they would be prepared to bill this political move as being my own, to net me even more respect from within the Liberal ranks," he said in the affidavit.

Hansen-Carlson says he listened to what the Liberals had to say, and then immediately went to the NDP to tell them what happened.

Hansen-Carlson said he was in shock after he received the offer.

"Here is a friend of mine – I consider David Oliver to be a friend – here's a friend of mine who has cornered me in the most awkward way, making me to be one of his political pawns."

"I don't care to gain from this. What is important and why I came forward is that what Mr. Oliver and Mr. Kalon did is completely inappropriate, and coming forward was a matter of principle."

The federal Tories dumped a B.C. candidate who faces charges of attempting to smuggle a car and booze across the Canada-U.S. border.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said on Thursday that it's too late to replace Derek Zeisman as a candidate, but that he wouldn't be allowed to join the caucus.