The Liberals have released an audio recording that appears to show PC Leader Doug Ford telling people at a Tim Hortons they don’t have to pay for party memberships while out recruiting with Etobicoke Centre candidate Kinga Surma.The recording was taken by a man who was approached by Ford and Surma back in October 2016.In the recording, Ford and Surma appear to approach customers at the Etobicoke coffee shop, asking them to become members. Ford says, “It doesn’t cost ya anything.” Surma then asks them to fill out forms, with Ford adding: “You don’t have to fill that out ... if you’re interested, we’ll do it for ya.”The party, which is trailing both the Progressive Conservatives and NDP in public opinion polls, also released an affidavit by Pina Martino, the riding’s former candidate who lost the 2016 nomination to Surma, in which she accuses Surma and Ford of duping dozens of people into party memberships and covering their fees. Ford denied the allegations on Thursday morning, saying he had never purchased memberships for any candidate. But he did not dispute the authenticity of the audio recording and said he had no plans to fire Surma, despite the apparent breach of party rules on membership sales.“This happened close to two years ago,” he said at a local autoparts factory in Tillsonburg, Ont. “We went through an appeals process. The appeal was totally dismissed. This is the Liberals two weeks before the election trying to change the channel.” Read more:NDP calls for Elections Ontario to probe 12 PC nominations As Horwath’s poll numbers rise, Doug Ford focuses his attacks on the NDPHorwath and Wynne trade shots over labour policyThe bitter nomination contest in Etobicoke Centre has been a source of internal party strife since it was decided in November 2016.Just days before losing the nomination to Surma, Martino filed a formal complaint with the party, accusing Surma of ...
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