Wynne controversy swirls

Photo: The Canadian Press

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was considering her legal options Thursday after the Opposition leader refused to retract comments that she warned could lead to a defamation lawsuit.

Wynne's opening shot to Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown came Wednesday, minutes before she testified as a witness in a trial in Sudbury, Ont., involving two Liberals facing Election Act bribery charges.

Her lawyers sent Brown a letter demanding he withdraw comments that suggested Wynne is personally on trial and apologize.

The next day, Brown made it clear he wouldn't be doing either. He responded to multiple questions about why by repeating that it was a "sad day for Ontario" to see the premier "humiliated" by testifying in court.

Brown called the legal threat "baseless," even though Wynne previously sued Brown's predecessor, former Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak.

Wynne, speaking to The Canadian Press in Washington, D.C., wouldn't say whether she will proceed with a lawsuit.

"We'll see what happens," she said. "My letter stands. It speaks for itself."

Jack Siegel, Wynne's lawyer, called Brown's response "extremely disappointing."

"Fair political criticism is one thing, but as a public figure himself, one might have thought that he would recognize that untruths that defame another politician are unacceptable," Siegel said in a statement.

Wynne is not on trial or even under investigation, but offered voluntary testimony, her lawyers noted.