TORONTO - The Conservatives made another attempt Wednesday to force a speedy investigation into their claims that the Liberal government attempted to cover up Ontario's lottery scandal.

The Opposition introduced a motion asking that an all-party committee of the legislature look into links between the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. and the government.

"There's no question the government's strategy is clear: dodge, deflect and cover-up,'' Opposition House Leader Bob Runciman charged in the legislature.

"Members of this caucus are not afraid to have a public hearing which obviously can look back at past government's actions, or lack of same. We're not afraid to take that look.''

The Liberals maintain they were not responsible for the problem of too many insider-wins of lottery jackpots, and point out that at least one high-profile case of a retailer ripping off a legitimate lottery winner happened under the previous Conservative government.

"They keep raising the spectre of a cover-up, which leads us to wonder what (former Tory minister Tim Hudak) was up to,'' said Deputy Premier George Smitherman.

"I really think that these are matters for inside the family of that (Conservative) political party.''

But NDP Leader Howard Hampton says a legislative committee must be given the power to investigate the Liberal government's relationship with the lottery agency.

"One of the questions that needs to be answered is: where was the minister when all of this was happening,'' asked Hampton.

"Is it reasonable for the minister to say `I saw nothing, I heard nothing, I knew nothing?'''

The Liberals referred the lottery fraud investigation over to the Ontario Provincial Police after the ombudsman released a damning report detailing the problem of insider wins.

The Tories say the police won't -- and the ombudsman didn't -- try to find out when the government learned of the brewing scandal at the Crown corporation, and what it did in response.

They want a committee to investigate the flow of information between the government and the lottery agency, and to report back within two months.

Premier Dalton McGuinty has rejected all attempts to have another investigation into the scandal.

He said the government will implement all of the ombudsman's recommendations to improve security and restore consumer confidence in Ontario's lottery system.

The Conservatives' motion to refer the issue to a legislative committee will be debated next Monday.