I have never believed that Patrick Brown was the best choice as leader of the PCs, but he carried the day in 2015. In the three years since, it's apparent that the core of the party didn't care for the direction he was trying to take them. Some PC party members believe that his departure will help them win in June.
The Liberals are saying Brown's bad press is an example of why the PCs should not form the government. The allegations of sexual misconduct must have been manna from heaven.
So, was it the PCs or the Liberals who torpedoed Patrick Brown? Or was it simply bad timing?
It is rare in politics for things to "just happen". Here are a few things to consider about Brown's alleged indiscretions: No charges were ever laid. The two women who made the accusations were never named. The story was published by CTV, a national media outlet. The mere suggestion of sexual indiscretion and Brown's career was over!
Several things stand out.
The accusations of sexual misconduct were leveled five months before the provincial elections. Not too much has been made of this yet, but it raises several interesting questions.
Did these women simply come forward on their own, or were they encouraged to speak out? If so, who encouraged them? Did it come from the Liberals or the PCs?
It is easy to point fingers at the Liberals. Their popularity and polling numbers are very low. Wynne and McGuinty have made a mess of the province.Their irresponsible spending, the hydro fiasco, and the "cap and trade" pricing - another name for a carbon tax - were all vote killers. The Liberals really need something to help their re-election campaign.
Did they have something to do with the two women coming forward? We'll have to wait and see. Brown has instructed his lawyers to file a lawsuit against CTV. Any dirty laundry should come out at trial, but that won't happen until the fall at the earliest.
But what about the PCs? The party was increasingly unhappy with his leadership. Evidence can be seen as late as yesterday, in an article published in the National Post, before Brown delivered the papers to run as leader (again).
None of the four other candidates wanted a carbon tax, but Brown was good with it. Red flag! Voters don't like more taxes.
Brown has been continually accused of pointing out Wynne's failures, but never proposing any solutions.
It is also said that his short time with the provincial conservatives make him unfit to be leader in the first place.
Brown wants to run again for the top job, but it is likely his petition will be rejected. Regardless of how PCs felt prior to January, Brown is not the person to lead the party now. He's carrying too much baggage. There simply isn't enough time to reconcile Brown's lawsuit and the press that will result. The Liberals and NDP will pounce on his situation like a pack of hungry wolves.
If Brown really cared about his party getting elected, he'd take himself out of the picture. The trouble is, his ego won't let him.
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In first debate, Ontario PC leadership hopefuls signal intention to steer party to the right
The four candidates rejected to varying degrees the legacy of ex-leader Patrick Brown, whose centre-right platform included a carbon tax
- Tom Blackwell, February 15, 2018 - 4:01 AM EST
The four contenders to be Ontario’s next Conservative leader made clear their intentions to steer their party to the right Thursday, vowing to battle Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over a possible carbon tax and blasting the provincial Liberals’ controversial sex-education program.
In the first debate of a hastily called, truncated leadership race, the candidates rejected to varying degrees the legacy of Patrick Brown, who resigned as leader last month over sexual-misconduct allegations he calls lies.
Brown had left behind a centre-right platform that promised tax cuts and other conservative red meat, but that also promised significant new spending and a tax on carbon emissions to help pay for it all.
On Thursday all the candidates reiterated their opposition to the tax — two of them vowing to take the Trudeau government to court if it imposes a levy. Three of the four said they would revisit or tear up the Kathleen Wynne administration’s sex ed curriculum, an issue Brown had carefully avoided.
The rest here.
In first debate, Ontario PC leadership hopefuls signal intention to steer party to the right | National Post
It seems that all the candidates are leaning the same way.
The Liberals are saying Brown's bad press is an example of why the PCs should not form the government. The allegations of sexual misconduct must have been manna from heaven.
So, was it the PCs or the Liberals who torpedoed Patrick Brown? Or was it simply bad timing?
It is rare in politics for things to "just happen". Here are a few things to consider about Brown's alleged indiscretions: No charges were ever laid. The two women who made the accusations were never named. The story was published by CTV, a national media outlet. The mere suggestion of sexual indiscretion and Brown's career was over!
Several things stand out.
The accusations of sexual misconduct were leveled five months before the provincial elections. Not too much has been made of this yet, but it raises several interesting questions.
Did these women simply come forward on their own, or were they encouraged to speak out? If so, who encouraged them? Did it come from the Liberals or the PCs?
It is easy to point fingers at the Liberals. Their popularity and polling numbers are very low. Wynne and McGuinty have made a mess of the province.Their irresponsible spending, the hydro fiasco, and the "cap and trade" pricing - another name for a carbon tax - were all vote killers. The Liberals really need something to help their re-election campaign.
Did they have something to do with the two women coming forward? We'll have to wait and see. Brown has instructed his lawyers to file a lawsuit against CTV. Any dirty laundry should come out at trial, but that won't happen until the fall at the earliest.
But what about the PCs? The party was increasingly unhappy with his leadership. Evidence can be seen as late as yesterday, in an article published in the National Post, before Brown delivered the papers to run as leader (again).
None of the four other candidates wanted a carbon tax, but Brown was good with it. Red flag! Voters don't like more taxes.
Brown has been continually accused of pointing out Wynne's failures, but never proposing any solutions.
It is also said that his short time with the provincial conservatives make him unfit to be leader in the first place.
Brown wants to run again for the top job, but it is likely his petition will be rejected. Regardless of how PCs felt prior to January, Brown is not the person to lead the party now. He's carrying too much baggage. There simply isn't enough time to reconcile Brown's lawsuit and the press that will result. The Liberals and NDP will pounce on his situation like a pack of hungry wolves.
If Brown really cared about his party getting elected, he'd take himself out of the picture. The trouble is, his ego won't let him.
---
In first debate, Ontario PC leadership hopefuls signal intention to steer party to the right
The four candidates rejected to varying degrees the legacy of ex-leader Patrick Brown, whose centre-right platform included a carbon tax
- Tom Blackwell, February 15, 2018 - 4:01 AM EST
The four contenders to be Ontario’s next Conservative leader made clear their intentions to steer their party to the right Thursday, vowing to battle Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over a possible carbon tax and blasting the provincial Liberals’ controversial sex-education program.
In the first debate of a hastily called, truncated leadership race, the candidates rejected to varying degrees the legacy of Patrick Brown, who resigned as leader last month over sexual-misconduct allegations he calls lies.
Brown had left behind a centre-right platform that promised tax cuts and other conservative red meat, but that also promised significant new spending and a tax on carbon emissions to help pay for it all.
On Thursday all the candidates reiterated their opposition to the tax — two of them vowing to take the Trudeau government to court if it imposes a levy. Three of the four said they would revisit or tear up the Kathleen Wynne administration’s sex ed curriculum, an issue Brown had carefully avoided.
The rest here.
In first debate, Ontario PC leadership hopefuls signal intention to steer party to the right | National Post
It seems that all the candidates are leaning the same way.
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