Former Laurentian University president Dominic Giroux discussed pairing up Glenn Thibeault with the Ontario Liberals, during the Sudbury by-election trial on Tuesday.
The incoming CEO of Health Sciences North shared details of a lunch meeting with Thibeault in Ottawa 18 months prior to Joe Cimino resigning as Sudbury's MPP.
Thibeault confided in Giroux he was contemplating a switch over from federal to provincial politics, because he felt limited in Ottawa.
Giroux said he helped connect Thibeault to the Liberal Party.
Court heard Thibeault wanted to be appointed as Sudbury's Liberal candidate, instead of running in a contested and open nomination process.
Thibeault wanted Premier Kathleen Wynne to commit to giving him to a cabinet post at Queen's Park, if he won the seat.
Andrew Olivier's former campaign manager Aaron St. Pierre also testified on Tuesday.
St. Pierre was unable to recall the majority of the events and exchanges leading up to the Sudbury by-election he was asked about; including an e-mail from the local riding association that recommended Olivier's acclamation.
"They were asking lots of questions about things that I couldn't remember," said St. Pierre, when speaking with reporters after providing testimony.
"There were lots people involved. There were lots of people saying different things, doing different things. I couldn't remember exactly."
Premier Wynne headlines Wednesday's testimony; which is expected to resume at 9 a.m.
Wynne faces no charges, but will be likely asked to testify about what she told Olivier and what conversations she had with Gerry Lougheed Jr. and Pat Sorbara prior to their conversations with him.
Sorbara, the premier's former deputy chief of staff, faces two bribery charges under the Election Act.
Lougheed faces one charge.
The premier has previously said she had already decided Olivier would not be the byelection candidate by the time Sorbara and Lougheed spoke to him, therefore anything offered was not in exchange for stepping aside. Rather, Wynne says, she was trying to keep him in the party fold.
with files from The Canadian Press
Editor's Note: CTV wants to make it clear Dominic Giroux has not been a 'fundraiser' for any political party. He testified on Tuesday that he did make private gifts to the Liberal Party and had he been asked he would have also mentioned he has made private gifts as well to the PC and NDP.