Ever since Patrick Brown first stepped down as leader of Ontario's Progressive Conservative party in January, more arrows have been fired at him than were used to defend him. While he did have some support, mainly family and friends, most of what has been in the press has been negative. Why is that? We probably won't know until the fall - after the election, when the lawsuit finally makes its way to court.
I fall on the side of those telling Patrick Brown to get his own house in order before he tries to lead another.
What has not been resolved, and is something that the Liberals would have seized upon, are the statements by the two women, claiming he was a sexual predator. It's in vogue right now to make that accusation. While it may not destroy someone's career, it certainly throws rocks on the road.
Coincident to this, there is the lawsuit that Brown launched against CTV, the media organization that initially broke the story of the two women. But the suit has not made it to court yet, so we don't know if CTV did anything wrong, or if Brown was unjustly accused in the press.
Finally, there are Randy Hillier's accusations that Brown got trips and expenses paid for him by private interests. Certainly, Hillier is no angel, but he must have enough evidence for the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario to investigate Brown. The Commissioner has announced that he will look into Hillier's complaint.
So what Ontarians have is a former PC leader who has been accused of sexual improprieties, and receiving money, but not declaring it. He also has an upcoming court date with his libel suit against CTV. None of this would be resolved going into the election.
Naturally, Brown says all these accusations are untrue.
With so much negative press, is it a bad thing that Brown is no longer running for leader? I say no. Deal with these issues, and if you are found innocent, run again.
With the election only 100 days away, keep the dirt out of the media. Don't damage the party to stroke your ego. Brown's troubles are only ammunition for the Liberals, NDPs and others to use during the campaign. It would be a useless distraction from the real issues facing Ontario voters.
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The Ontario PC Party is broken and Patrick Brown's return wouldn't have fixed it
- Gary Mason
There was always the chance that Patrick Brown's bizarre and perplexing entry into the Ontario Tory leadership contest might blow up before a single vote was cast. On Monday it did.
In a four-page letter to senior party officials, Mr. Brown announced that he was ending his campaign. In his correspondence, the Barrie MPP alluded to the many troubles that have dogged him in recent weeks, including CTV's explosive report, which included allegations of sexual misconduct.
"After a week of self-reflection, it is clear that the hit job perpetrated against me by CTV and my political adversaries continues to be a distraction from important discussions …" Mr. Brown said in his letter.
The letter also cited concerns he had for his friends and family. He said they had been subjected to attacks, and that he could not allow his family to suffer because of his ambition.
But we also know that Mr. Brown made the announcement on the same day the province's Integrity Commissioner made public the fact he was launching an investigation into Mr. Brown's financial affairs and allegations of impropriety. Also, on Monday the Toronto Star reported that, as leader, Mr. Brown had directed party officials to get the result he wanted in a Hamilton riding being investigated by police.
There was no indication that the forces within the Tory party who had been leaking damaging information about Mr. Brown were about to stop. And that, more than anything, likely compelled him to make the decision he did.
And it was always a possibility. In fact, it was a scenario discussed in the Brown camp from the outset of his leadership bid. His most senior communications adviser, Alise Mills, told me more than a week ago that Mr. Brown might ultimately opt for the role of "kingmaker" before the leadership contest was over. In other words, if it became clear he had no chance, then he was going to throw his support behind someone he thought could win.
The rest here.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/new...return-wouldnt-have-fixed-it/article38110601/
The Ontario PC Party is broken and Patrick Brown's return wouldn't have fixed it. Not even a little.
I fall on the side of those telling Patrick Brown to get his own house in order before he tries to lead another.
What has not been resolved, and is something that the Liberals would have seized upon, are the statements by the two women, claiming he was a sexual predator. It's in vogue right now to make that accusation. While it may not destroy someone's career, it certainly throws rocks on the road.
Coincident to this, there is the lawsuit that Brown launched against CTV, the media organization that initially broke the story of the two women. But the suit has not made it to court yet, so we don't know if CTV did anything wrong, or if Brown was unjustly accused in the press.
Finally, there are Randy Hillier's accusations that Brown got trips and expenses paid for him by private interests. Certainly, Hillier is no angel, but he must have enough evidence for the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario to investigate Brown. The Commissioner has announced that he will look into Hillier's complaint.
So what Ontarians have is a former PC leader who has been accused of sexual improprieties, and receiving money, but not declaring it. He also has an upcoming court date with his libel suit against CTV. None of this would be resolved going into the election.
Naturally, Brown says all these accusations are untrue.
With so much negative press, is it a bad thing that Brown is no longer running for leader? I say no. Deal with these issues, and if you are found innocent, run again.
With the election only 100 days away, keep the dirt out of the media. Don't damage the party to stroke your ego. Brown's troubles are only ammunition for the Liberals, NDPs and others to use during the campaign. It would be a useless distraction from the real issues facing Ontario voters.
---
The Ontario PC Party is broken and Patrick Brown's return wouldn't have fixed it
- Gary Mason
There was always the chance that Patrick Brown's bizarre and perplexing entry into the Ontario Tory leadership contest might blow up before a single vote was cast. On Monday it did.
In a four-page letter to senior party officials, Mr. Brown announced that he was ending his campaign. In his correspondence, the Barrie MPP alluded to the many troubles that have dogged him in recent weeks, including CTV's explosive report, which included allegations of sexual misconduct.
"After a week of self-reflection, it is clear that the hit job perpetrated against me by CTV and my political adversaries continues to be a distraction from important discussions …" Mr. Brown said in his letter.
The letter also cited concerns he had for his friends and family. He said they had been subjected to attacks, and that he could not allow his family to suffer because of his ambition.
But we also know that Mr. Brown made the announcement on the same day the province's Integrity Commissioner made public the fact he was launching an investigation into Mr. Brown's financial affairs and allegations of impropriety. Also, on Monday the Toronto Star reported that, as leader, Mr. Brown had directed party officials to get the result he wanted in a Hamilton riding being investigated by police.
There was no indication that the forces within the Tory party who had been leaking damaging information about Mr. Brown were about to stop. And that, more than anything, likely compelled him to make the decision he did.
And it was always a possibility. In fact, it was a scenario discussed in the Brown camp from the outset of his leadership bid. His most senior communications adviser, Alise Mills, told me more than a week ago that Mr. Brown might ultimately opt for the role of "kingmaker" before the leadership contest was over. In other words, if it became clear he had no chance, then he was going to throw his support behind someone he thought could win.
The rest here.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/new...return-wouldnt-have-fixed-it/article38110601/
The Ontario PC Party is broken and Patrick Brown's return wouldn't have fixed it. Not even a little.
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