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Patrick Brown’s latest departure from the Progressive Conservatives will probably be his last, but he could still do more damage if he really wants to: He’s quit the race to replace himself too late to get his name off the ballots members will use to pick the party’s next leader.
Brown’s quitting the race was finally confirmed by Hartley Lefton, the lawyer who heads the Tories’ leadership-race organizing committee, after a day of speculation.
Word had dribbled out from a Sunday-night conference call Brown held with close supporters that he’d be quitting. But would he? Wouldn’t he? Brown’s press aide, Alise Mills, first upbraided people on Twitter for speculating, then promised Brown would make a statement “shortly,” and then two hours went by before she followed up by saying it would come later.
Finally, Brown himself shared a four-page statement explaining his decision. He wishes to fight the original sexual-misconduct allegations aired by CTV news that prompted his resignation as Tory leader a month ago.
“I am a strong supporter of the #MeToo movement, but false allegations broadcast by the media diminish that movement and minimize the voices of women who come forward honestly and with pure intentions,” he wrote.
He wants the party to focus on policy, not him: “It has become increasingly evident that my participation in this democratic race has, for some, become a source of distraction from the real goal of replacing this tired Liberal government with a pragmatic, moderate, fiscally responsible alternative.”
And he wants to spare his family further trauma: “The guilt and pain in seeing them hurt because people want to come after me is indescribable.”
Meanwhile, former Dalton McGuinty chief of staff David Livingston was in a sentencing hearing in Toronto for the criminal messing-about with emails of which he’s been convicted in the gas-plants affair. Livingston’s the biggest prize the Tories have taken in years — years! — of work on the billion-dollar fiasco and while his punishment’s being debated in court, Brown did his Schrodinger’s-politician act.
When the box finally opened, there was Brown’s political career, limp. His statement implied that he hopes to run for re-election as a Progressive Conservative MPP, though interim party leader Vic Fedeli has already kicked him out of the Tory caucus.
His comeback bid cost his party more than a week of thinking and talking about its future, in a leadership campaign that’s barely a month long.
What does the post-Brown party stand for? What will it run on? What happens to Brown’s People’s Guarantee platform? Instead of dealing with questions like that, Elliott, Ford, Granic Allen and Mulroney had to spend a week talking about bloody Patrick some more.
About Brown’s weird called-off deal to sell his share in a Barrie bar to a Tory candidate-to-be in Brampton. His mountain of a mortgage and dating of a party intern, as alleged in a formal integrity complaint by his former caucusmate Randy Hillier — along with allegations that Brown improperly accepted trips abroad from men doing business with the party or the government or both. Integrity commissioner J. David Wake announced Monday he’ll investigate.
About his libel claim against CTV. That claim challenges the factual assertion that he gave alcohol to a teen too young to legally drink it, which CTV has already admitted was incorrect. The rest of the stuff — about exposing himself to one young woman and rubbing up against another woman who worked for him at the time — wasn’t “sexual misconduct,” the notice says, but it doesn’t say none of it happened.
And, just on Monday morning, about his involvement in a Hamilton nomination fight the police are investigating. Disqualifying disfavoured candidates wasn’t on, according to emails obtained by the Toronto Star, but it’s reported that Brown still wanted the party to get him the candidate he preferred. That candidate, Ben Levitt, has asked for a revote to take the stink off his nomination.
None of this is normal. Brown denies wrongdoing on any front. He’s been charged with no crimes, found wanting in no formal process. Brown’s enemies have obviously been leaking damaging material to harm him. But there’s just so much of it.
Brown’s comeback bid attracted support from many candidates drawn to the Tories while he was leader, including locals Goldie Ghamari (Carleton), Karin Howard (Ottawa South) and Fadi Nemr (Ottawa-Vanier), plus veteran MPP Toby Barrett and rookie Ross Romano. His loyalists on the party’s nomination committee put themselves out to get his nomination approved, too.
Now he’s walked away, leaving them to dangle.
Brown won the leadership in the first place by outworking the competition in every corner of the province. Every Legion hall, campus club and sewing circle in Ontario that would have him got a visit. He was disciplined to the point of dullness and it worked.
Since he won, nearly three years ago now, Brown’s political career has been a accelerating symphony of self-destruction, starting with his flip-flopping on sex education and going faster and faster by the day.
Maybe he’ll get back into the race again. You never know with this guy.
dreevely@postmedia.com
twitter.com/davidreevely
查看原文...
Brown’s quitting the race was finally confirmed by Hartley Lefton, the lawyer who heads the Tories’ leadership-race organizing committee, after a day of speculation.
Word had dribbled out from a Sunday-night conference call Brown held with close supporters that he’d be quitting. But would he? Wouldn’t he? Brown’s press aide, Alise Mills, first upbraided people on Twitter for speculating, then promised Brown would make a statement “shortly,” and then two hours went by before she followed up by saying it would come later.
Finally, Brown himself shared a four-page statement explaining his decision. He wishes to fight the original sexual-misconduct allegations aired by CTV news that prompted his resignation as Tory leader a month ago.
“I am a strong supporter of the #MeToo movement, but false allegations broadcast by the media diminish that movement and minimize the voices of women who come forward honestly and with pure intentions,” he wrote.
He wants the party to focus on policy, not him: “It has become increasingly evident that my participation in this democratic race has, for some, become a source of distraction from the real goal of replacing this tired Liberal government with a pragmatic, moderate, fiscally responsible alternative.”
And he wants to spare his family further trauma: “The guilt and pain in seeing them hurt because people want to come after me is indescribable.”
Meanwhile, former Dalton McGuinty chief of staff David Livingston was in a sentencing hearing in Toronto for the criminal messing-about with emails of which he’s been convicted in the gas-plants affair. Livingston’s the biggest prize the Tories have taken in years — years! — of work on the billion-dollar fiasco and while his punishment’s being debated in court, Brown did his Schrodinger’s-politician act.
When the box finally opened, there was Brown’s political career, limp. His statement implied that he hopes to run for re-election as a Progressive Conservative MPP, though interim party leader Vic Fedeli has already kicked him out of the Tory caucus.
His comeback bid cost his party more than a week of thinking and talking about its future, in a leadership campaign that’s barely a month long.
What does the post-Brown party stand for? What will it run on? What happens to Brown’s People’s Guarantee platform? Instead of dealing with questions like that, Elliott, Ford, Granic Allen and Mulroney had to spend a week talking about bloody Patrick some more.
About Brown’s weird called-off deal to sell his share in a Barrie bar to a Tory candidate-to-be in Brampton. His mountain of a mortgage and dating of a party intern, as alleged in a formal integrity complaint by his former caucusmate Randy Hillier — along with allegations that Brown improperly accepted trips abroad from men doing business with the party or the government or both. Integrity commissioner J. David Wake announced Monday he’ll investigate.
About his libel claim against CTV. That claim challenges the factual assertion that he gave alcohol to a teen too young to legally drink it, which CTV has already admitted was incorrect. The rest of the stuff — about exposing himself to one young woman and rubbing up against another woman who worked for him at the time — wasn’t “sexual misconduct,” the notice says, but it doesn’t say none of it happened.
And, just on Monday morning, about his involvement in a Hamilton nomination fight the police are investigating. Disqualifying disfavoured candidates wasn’t on, according to emails obtained by the Toronto Star, but it’s reported that Brown still wanted the party to get him the candidate he preferred. That candidate, Ben Levitt, has asked for a revote to take the stink off his nomination.
None of this is normal. Brown denies wrongdoing on any front. He’s been charged with no crimes, found wanting in no formal process. Brown’s enemies have obviously been leaking damaging material to harm him. But there’s just so much of it.
Brown’s comeback bid attracted support from many candidates drawn to the Tories while he was leader, including locals Goldie Ghamari (Carleton), Karin Howard (Ottawa South) and Fadi Nemr (Ottawa-Vanier), plus veteran MPP Toby Barrett and rookie Ross Romano. His loyalists on the party’s nomination committee put themselves out to get his nomination approved, too.
Now he’s walked away, leaving them to dangle.
Brown won the leadership in the first place by outworking the competition in every corner of the province. Every Legion hall, campus club and sewing circle in Ontario that would have him got a visit. He was disciplined to the point of dullness and it worked.
Since he won, nearly three years ago now, Brown’s political career has been a accelerating symphony of self-destruction, starting with his flip-flopping on sex education and going faster and faster by the day.
Maybe he’ll get back into the race again. You never know with this guy.
dreevely@postmedia.com
twitter.com/davidreevely
查看原文...
