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Keith Leslie, The Canadian Press Published Monday, March 31, 2014 11:17AM EDT Last Updated Monday, March 31, 2014 4:43PM EDT

TORONTO -- Ontario's Liberals have confirmed that an outside tech expert police allege was given access to 24 computers in the premier's office last year had a contract with the governing party that was cancelled just two days ago.

Government house leader John Milloy says computer expert Peter Faist was also under contract to the Liberal caucus office at Queen's Park, but that contract ended when former premier Dalton McGuinty left office.

Ontario Provincial Police, who are investigating the deletion of government emails related to the cancellation of two gas plants, alleged in court documents that the computer access was given by David Livingston, McGuinty's former chief of staff.

The court documents, released last Thursday, also allege that Livingston sought access to the government computers to "wipe clean" the hard drives.

Progressive Conservative critic Lisa MacLeod says Faist was "under the employment of Kathleen Wynne" until two days after the OPP allegations were made public last week.

MacLeod calls word of Faist's contract with the Liberals a "bombshell" that she says "looks very damning" for the governing party.

She says it raises more questions about Wynne's role in the attempted coverup of the Liberals' decisions to cancel gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga prior to the 2011 election at a cost to taxpayers of up to $1.1 billion.

The Liberals accused the Conservatives of playing "dirty politics" by trying to link Wynne to the apparent tampering of the computers in the premier's office.

Milloy said he didn't know how much Faist was paid by the Liberals and didn't say what the terms of the contract were.

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Tech expert allegedly linked to deleted emails had contract with Liberals

Keith Leslie, The Canadian Press Published Monday, March 31, 2014 11:17AM EDT Last Updated Monday, March 31, 2014 4:43PM EDT

TORONTO -- Ontario's Liberals have confirmed that an outside tech expert police allege was given access to 24 computers in the premier's office last year had a contract with the governing party that was cancelled just two days ago.

Government house leader John Milloy says computer expert Peter Faist was also under contract to the Liberal caucus office at Queen's Park, but that contract ended when former premier Dalton McGuinty left office.

Ontario Provincial Police, who are investigating the deletion of government emails related to the cancellation of two gas plants, alleged in court documents that the computer access was given by David Livingston, McGuinty's former chief of staff.

The court documents, released last Thursday, also allege that Livingston sought access to the government computers to "wipe clean" the hard drives.

Progressive Conservative critic Lisa MacLeod says Faist was "under the employment of Kathleen Wynne" until two days after the OPP allegations were made public last week.

MacLeod calls word of Faist's contract with the Liberals a "bombshell" that she says "looks very damning" for the governing party.

She says it raises more questions about Wynne's role in the attempted coverup of the Liberals' decisions to cancel gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga prior to the 2011 election at a cost to taxpayers of up to $1.1 billion.

The Liberals accused the Conservatives of playing "dirty politics" by trying to link Wynne to the apparent tampering of the computers in the premier's office.

Milloy said he didn't know how much Faist was paid by the Liberals and didn't say what the terms of the contract were.

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Tech expert who allegedly got access to gov't computers had contract with Liberals

QUEBEC CITY Quebec Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard repeatedly accused the Parti Qubcois on Monday of fabricating a crisis to fuel support for a sovereignty referendum.

Couillard went after his election rivals for what he called a Machiavellian ploy to use the controversial Quebec values charter to spur a fight with Ottawa to better sell separation to the provinces voters, as described in an article about PQ strategy in La Presse newspaper, citing high level party operatives.

This is totally unacceptable. I have never seen something as despicable as this, politically, said Couillard, alleging the PQ is using the charter as an instrument of division to obtain support for a vote on separation.

Its one of the most cynical things I have ever seen done in Quebec politics . . . Quebecers of all origins will be scandalized.

Shortly afterward, PQ Leader Pauline Marois made the surprise announcement that she is prepared to used the rarely-invoked notwithstanding clause of the constitution to protect the charter from a Supreme Court challenge.

The notwithstanding clause is a section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that allows governments to overrule court decisions that strike down laws deemed unconstitutional.

Taking questions during a campaign stop at the University of Laval, Couillard said Marois announcement reinforces his earlier comments about the La Presse article.

Couillard added that theres no comparison, in his view, between Marois proposed use of the clause, and when it was invoked by former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa in 1988 to save the provinces French language protection law, Bill 101.

The question to ask is: is it proportional? Does this tool that suspends people's liberty correspond with an issue that is urgent and real? Couillard said, repeating earlier comments that the PQ is trying to create an identity crisis to fuel support for its sovereignty agenda.

In the case of (the charter), there's no crisis, there's no real issue, so evidently there's no proportionality. The only goal is to start an argument with the (federal government.)

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Liberals accuse PQ of despicable ploy to spark Quebec referendum

TORONTO - An outside tech expert who police allege was given access to 24 computers in the Ontario premier's office last year had a contract with the Liberal party that was just cancelled on the weekend, Premier Kathleen Wynne confirmed Monday.

Computer expert Peter Faist also had a contract with the Liberal caucus bureau at Queen's Park, but that ended when former premier Dalton McGuinty left office, Wynne told reporters at an unrelated event in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

"He did not provide any services to the Liberal caucus services after I came into office," she said. "He did provide some services to the Liberal party (but) once we discovered that he was part of the issues surrounding the allegations ... his services were terminated as of Sunday."

Provincial police, who are investigating the deletion of government emails related to the Liberals' cancellation of two gas plants, alleged in court documents that Faist was given the computer access by David Livingston, McGuinty's former chief of staff.

The court documents, released last Thursday, also allege that Livingston sought access to the government computers to "wipe clean" the computer hard drives. The allegations contained in documents have not been proven in court.

The Progressive Conservatives said Wynne's admission added weight to their claim that she was in charge early last February when the hard drives were apparently wiped clean, even though she wasn't officially sworn in as premier until Feb. 11.

"It is very clear that the mastermind behind wiping all those hard drives was, up until these revelations became very public, ... (was) somebody who was under the employment of Kathleen Wynne," said PC critic Lisa MacLeod. "Never in a million years did we expect that he was still on the payroll."

MacLeod said Faist's contracts raise more questions about Wynne's role in the attempted coverup of the Liberals' decisions to cancel gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga prior to the 2011 election at a cost to taxpayers of up to $1.1 billion.

The Liberals accused the Conservatives of playing "dirty politics" by trying to link Wynne to the latest police allegations.

The government said Faist's IT company billed the Liberal caucus $159,727.28 between June 2010 and January 2013, and also billed the Liberal Party of Ontario about $60,000 for IT maintenance between March 2011 and last Sunday.

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PCs, NDP fume as Wynne ducks question period

ABC The NT Government is on the brink of losing majority government, as speculation continues about bush members Larisa Lee, Alison Anderson and Francis Xavier leaving the Country Liberals.

The Northern Territory Chief Minister has asked the Country Liberals to hold off on a decision on Alison Anderson's membership of the party.

Adam Giles said he intervened in the party's deliberations on the weekend.

"I asked the management committee to not seek to terminate Alison or anyone else's membership immediately," Mr Giles said.

He said he asked the party to wait until the next Central Council meeting in a couple of months.

But the Chief Minister said he was prepared to govern in minority.

"We are not going to have 12 of our members held to ransom by three," Mr Giles said of Alison Anderson, Larisa Lee and Francis Xavier.

And he rejected claims - made by the Member for Arafura, Francis Xavier - that he threatened to pull government support for the Tiwi Islands ferry in a meeting last week.

"I haven't met with Francis and there hasn't been any threat of resources being pulled," Mr Giles said.

He said he was looking to improve the ferry by putting jetty services in place.

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NT Chief Minister asks party to hold off on Anderson decision as by-election looms