New Andrew Younger recording surfaces, prompting premier's office to call police

RCMP say they have launched an investigation into a 43-second recording that appears to suggest Premier Stephen McNeil's chief of staff offered a job to former cabinet minister Andrew Younger's wife while he was on a forced leave of absence earlier this year.

The recording was dropped off at the Nova Scotia legislature, addressed to the premier's press secretary, Laurel Munroe. It was made public Thursday and the premier's office said it contacted police.

The contents of the recording prompted the Opposition Progressive Conservatives to call for the removal of the premier's chief of staff, Kirby McVicar. The premier, however, is resisting and says he does not believe the offer of work was meant as a bribe.

"Certainly not happy with what I heard in the context of those 40 seconds," McNeil told reporters. "But I need to look at it in its totality. I can tell you we've turned the letter and the tape over to the RCMP."

Also on Thursday, the House unanimously passed a motion calling on Younger, the MLA for Dartmouth East who now sits as an independent, to release any and all recordings in his possession of conversations with McVicar.

Younger revealed last week he'd recorded a conversation with McVicar in February that took place at his constituency office. At the time, he was on a forced leave of absence to deal with what McNeil called at the time a "personal issue."

That issue involved former Liberal staffer Tara Gault, who was under police investigation for assaulting Younger and was charged.

In the new recording, McVicar can be heard telling Younger that the premier wanted him to come back to the House and be "a soldier." The recording also suggests he offered Younger's wife, Katia Younger, a job. 

"I know you're taking a financial hit, I know that's painful and if there's anything that we can do for your wife on that side then, if there's anything — then let us know," McVicar tells Younger.

"Is there a personal-service contract that we can do. Is there something we can do to help?" 

McVicar goes on to suggest that Younger "have a chat" with his wife about the option and relay the results of that conversation back to him.

Younger was fired from cabinet and the Liberal caucus two weeks ago and stripped of his minister's salary of $49,046.51.

Earlier that week he'd refused to testify at Gault's trial, invoking his privilege as an MLA. Younger had been in a personal relationship with the woman.

Younger has accused the premier's office of treating him and his family unfairly on his path back to Liberal cabinet. 

'That's for other people to decide'

Younger told reporters on Thursday that he had no idea the 43-second clip had been sent to government.

He says he had released all recordings he had to CBC News on Nov. 12, but found another shorter recording the next day. That recording was heard only by his "circle" of people, Younger said.

"I asked this group of people who have been involved since January whether they thought there was merit in releasing it to further prove the fact that of what was going on and how involved Kirby and the premier's office was," he said.

"We all decided, you know, at this point there's nothing that's going change anything. So you just move on."

Younger says he presumes the recording was sent to the legislature by a member of that group.

As for what's said on the recording, Younger isn't saying much.

"I'll let it speak for itself," he said. "That's for other people to decide." 

Premier 'not happy'

On Thursday evening, RCMP spokesman Const. Mark Skinner confirmed police were opening an investigation.

Progressive Conservative Party Leader Jamie Baillie is calling on the premier to remove McVicar from his position. 

"The RCMP are investigating something that includes the premier's chief of staff," Baillie told reporters. 

"As long as that's the case, he can't do his job because he can't do his job properly because of the investigation he should step aside."

The premier, however, said McVicar will not be going on leave because McNeil is confident a bribe wasn't offered to Younger.

McNeil told reporters he doesn't know all the details, but said McVicar and Younger had been discussing how Katia Younger was about to lose her job.

"There was a whole part of that conversation that was talking about the fact there would be a job loss in the household, there was a number of other aspects," he said.

"But in fairness to everyone I think it's important that we put that tape on and we have a full airing of what's on that tape."