A dispute over a statement made about Conservative MP John Baird at the criminal trial of Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien will be clarified in testimony yet to be heard in court, the mayor's lawyer said Friday.
Baird's office released a statement late Thursday after the trial broke for the long weekend, saying defence lawyer Michael Edelson was wrong when he told the court Baird discussed an appointment to the National Parole Board with the mayor's accuser Terry Kilrea during a meeting in July 2006.
"Mr. Edelson was incorrect when he said that in a statement to police, Minister Baird discussed the matter of the parole board with Mr. Kilrea when they met," reads the statement from Baird's office.
"The police statement is clear -- this issue was never discussed during the meeting between Mr. Baird and Mr. Kilrea."
Baird said little about the issue when he made a scheduled appearance at the official opening of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa on Friday.
"I think we issued a statement last night that sought to clarify it. I don't think there's much of a need to go further while it's before the courts," he told reporters.
Criminal lawyer Norm Boxall says although it's unusual for such a statement to be made, it's not unexpected.
"It's part of the nature of the beast. Here where we have political officials that are involved in the trial either as the accused or as witnesses, and so they are interested not just in the court proceedings, but in their own public image," Boxall told CTV Ottawa.
Charges against the mayor stem from allegations Kilrea made in a sworn affidavit that claim O'Brien offered to help him win a federal post on the National Parole Board in exchange for dropping out of the 2006 mayoral race. O'Brien pleaded not guilty to the influence peddling charges last week.
Kilrea has testified that O'Brien told him to contact then-Treasury Board president John Baird about the federal appointment.
Although Kilrea said he asked Baird about the National Parole Board in an email exchange, he said the two never discussed the issue during a face-to-face meeting in July 2006.
A summary of Baird's police statement, included in a search warrant application, is ambiguous.
It says Kilrea "sought advice from Baird" about the mayoral race, but doesn't provide a date.
The summary then continues: "He (Baird) said Kilrea brought up the issue of the National Parole Board appointment and he couldn't honestly recommend him for the position because he didn't think he had the capacity for the job."
Edelson spent most the week establishing that Kilrea has an unreliable memory for campaign details, while at the same time painting the Crown's chief witness in the trial as a grandstanding political opportunist.
Kilrea has testified he had a good relationship with Baird and fellow Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's parliamentary secretary.
Members of Poilievre's staff worked on Kilrea's mayoral campaign, and Baird attended a Kilrea fundraiser.
Baird is currently the minister of transport in the Harper government. He is among several key federal Conservatives expected to testify at the trial, is expected to take the stand next week.
The trial at Ontario's Superior Court in Ottawa continues Tuesday with Kilrea back under cross-examination for a fifth consecutive day.
The case is being heard by judge alone.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem and files from The Canadian Press
