Ontario PC party to hold leadership race

Northern MPP appointed interim PC party Leader From CTV Northern Ontario: Is there still a possibility that Vic Fedeli may not lead the Tories in the June election?

Ontario's Progressive Conservatives will hold a leadership race to replace Patrick Brown, who resigned this week in the face of sexual misconduct allegations.

The party's executive voted today to hold the race and select a new leader sometime before March, ahead of the spring election in June.  This runs contrary to the wishes of the party's caucus, which named Tory Finance Critic Vic Fedeli as interim leader earlier Friday afternoon, who wanted him to serve as permanent party leader through the upcoming election.

Party President Rick Dykstra says the executive has not yet established a firm time frame for the race.

Grassroots party members and a number of candidates called on the executive to hold a leadership election to give them a voice in who would lead the provincial Tories.

Dykstra noted that Fedeli will be able to run in the leadership race.

Brown announced his resignation as party leader early Thursday, hours after emphatically denying what he called "troubling allegations" about his conduct and his character. The allegations, which have not been independently verified by The Canadian Press, were made by two women who spoke to CTV News.