Patrick Brown launches Conservative Party leadership bid
Global News
Brampton mayor and former Ontario PC leader with a reputation as a strong organizer aims for a fourth political life as federal Conservative leader.
Brampton mayor and former Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown has officially joined the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race.
At an event in Brampton Sunday, Brown became the fifth candidate to publicly join the race to replace Erin O’Toole.
Brown has a reputation as a strong organizer in Ontario in a race where signing up new members is expected to have a significant impact on the outcome.
A former federal Conservative backbencher for Barrie, Brown mounted an outsider bid to take over the Ontario PC leadership in 2015. He very likely would have become Ontario’s premier – but allegations of sexual misconduct involving two young women, reported by CTV in 2018, led to his resignation.
Brown launched an $8-million defamation suit against CTV, which was settled last week. No money changed hands as part of the settlement, but CTV acknowledged that some details provided to the network required correction. The original news stories remain up on CTV’s website, and Brown has denied the allegations.
As Ontario PC leader, Brown embraced carbon pricing and tried to modernize the party brand – two issues expected to loom large in the current leadership race.
Presumed frontrunner Pierre Poilievre has already vowed to “scrap” the federal carbon levy and has used the issue as an attack on former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who is also seeking the federal leadership.
Social conservative standard bearer and MP Leslyn Lewis and independent Ontario MPP Roman Baber have also declared their intentions to run. Ontario MP Scott Aitchinson confirmed earlier this month that he was exploring a bid.
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