Conservative party disputes Brown’s allegation political corruption behind his disqualification
Patrick Brown is alleging political corruption played a role in his disqualification from the Conservative Party of Canada's leadership race, a move that came following allegations that his campaign violated election financing rules.
In his first sit-down television interview since being ejected by the Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC), Brown denied wrongdoing, decried what he called "anonymous allegations" and told CTV News Channel's Power Play host Evan Solomon he believes Pierre Poilievre supporters on the committee are behind the move.
"When I say this is politically corrupt, 150,000 Canadians, many for the first time, joined the Conservative Party, and their vote has been taken away," said Brown, referencing the new party members, his campaign says they had signed up since entering the race this spring.
"I’m shocked that they would take lengths this extraordinary to rob members of the party of a democratic election based on an anonymous complaint," he said, adding that he didn't feel as if he had enough time or information about the accusations made to properly respond, and indicating his team is assessing their options to challenge the move.
However, Conservative party president Rob Batherson later confirmed that allegations "did not come from anybody affiliated with any other campaign," seeming to suggest the concerns raised came from those previously helping try to make the current mayor of Brampton, the next federal Conservative leader.
Pressed for details, Batherson declined to elaborate, saying the ball is now in Elections Canada's court to evaluate and "interview the sources of the allegations."
Chair of the committee Ian Brodie announced Brown's disqualification late Tuesday evening, referencing "serious allegations of wrongdoing" by Brown's campaign.
"The information provided to date by the Patrick Brown campaign did not satisfy concerns about their compliance with our Rules and Procedures and/or the Canada Elections Act," reads the statement. The decision to disqualify him was made following a split vote 11 to six taken by LEOC members.
"We regret having to take these steps but we have an obligation to ensure that both our Party's Rules and federal law are respected by all candidates and campaign teams. None of these problems has any impact on the integrity of the vote itself," the statement said.
Despite growing calls for transparency, the party has declined to get into any specific details of the allegations, citing the potential impact on investigations. Brown told Solomon his campaign was told it has to do with allowing a corporation to pay for work being done by a campaign member.
"But [there was] no information about who that was or who that corporation was so it's impossible to respond to a phantom," he said.
Yaroslav Baran, who handles media communications for the current leadership contest, told CTV National News on Wednesday that there had been "numerous" accusations brought forward.
"Some of them pertain to the rules of the race, the rules set out by the leadership election organizing committee that the party established, but more recently, there have been some material brought forward that went above that and spoke to potential violations of electoral law," he said.
Baran also directly refuted Brown's assertion his team wasn't made aware of the accusations.
"The party has been very transparent and forthright with the campaign in question… The party reached out to the campaign on numerous occasions, gave them numerous and generous opportunities to explain what this was all about," he said.
"They, unfortunately for them, chose not to avail themselves of those opportunities. They knew exactly what this was all about, exactly what the material was, and they chose not to take advantage of the opportunities to give any kind of a plausible and satisfactory explanation."
The party also confirmed Wednesday that because ballot packages have already started to be sent to the approximately 675,000 members ahead of the Sept. 10 announcement of a winner, Brown's name will still appear on what will be a preferential ballot.
Pierre Poilievre declined CTV News' request for an interview about Brown's removal and the claims he has made. His campaign did send a statement Wednesday morning stating that Brown's disqualification was the "latest chapter in a career defined by numerous scandals."
"This is not the first time Patrick has been disqualified from running for public office for reasons of ethical impropriety. In fact, the Ontario PC Party disqualified him from running as a local candidate. For years, Patrick's conduct has demonstrated that he is the kind of person that will say and do anything to win," a statement from campaign spokesperson Anthony Koch said.
The two campaigns have had fierce back-and-forth exchanges during the race thus far, with both sides alleging different types of wrongdoing.
Poilievre's camp had previously accused Brown's team of reimbursing membership fees for those who signed up using his online portal.
Jean Charest — now one of five contenders in the race, alongside Poilievre, Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, and Leslyn Lewis — sent a message to supporters Wednesday morning calling for answers.
In the email, director of communications Michelle Coates Mather said revelations from "both sides of the issue are deeply troubling," and that members deserve more clarification.
"LEOC must ensure integrity of the process. Party members deserve the truth. We need to understand what the allegations are, how Patrick Brown's campaign responded and why LEOC took such drastic action. Transparency is paramount," she said.
On Wednesday night, legal counsel for Brown sent a notice to the Conservative Party to say he intends to appeal the decision.
"To be clear, Mr. Brown has engaged in absolutely no misconduct," the notice reads.
However, on Wednesday evening Batherson said that the party's rules "do not provide for appealing a disqualification decision."
With files from CTV News' Evan Solomon and Rachel Aiello
IN DEPTH
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
opinion Don Martin: Pierre Poilievre's road to apparent victory will soon start to get rougher
Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives appear to be on cruise control to a rendezvous with the leader's prime ministerial ambition, but in his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin questions whether the Conservative leader may be peaking too soon.
opinion Don Martin: The Trudeau lessons from Brian Mulroney's legacy start with walking away
Justin Trudeau should pay very close attention to the legacy treatment afforded former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who died on Thursday at age 84, writes columnist Don Martin.
opinion Don Martin: ArriveCan debacle may be even worse than we know from auditor's report
It's been 22 years since a former auditor general blasted the Chretien government after it 'broke just about every rule in the book' in handing out private sector contracts in the sponsorship scandal. In his column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says the book has been broken anew with everything that went on behind the scenes of the 'dreaded' ArriveCan app.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
This historical tavern in Toronto is closing after nearly 200 years
An historic downtown Toronto bar is closing its doors next week after nearly 200 years in business.
Snow-covered bodies of 2 men from Senegal found in New York woods near Canadian border
Two men from Senegal froze to death were found in the snow of a wooded area close to the Canadian border, New York state police said.
For years she thought her son had died of an overdose. The police video changed all that
Austin Hunter Turner died in 2017, on a night that his mother has rewound and replayed again and again, trying to make sense of what happened.
Vancouver rapper falls on ice during Canucks game performance
The Vancouver Canucks weren’t the only ones who stumbled during Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars.
Feeling older than you are? It could be how you sleep
Not getting enough sleep may cause you to feel five to 10 years older than you really are, according to two new studies.
Manhattan DA suggests Donald Trump violated gag order with post about daughter of hush-money trial judge
Manhattan prosecutors suggested Friday that Donald Trump violated a gag order in his hush-money criminal case this week by assailing the judge's daughter and making a false claim about her on social media.
Niagara Region 'proactively' declares state of emergency ahead of total solar eclipse
Niagara Region says it has declared a state of emergency 'out of an abundance of caution' as it prepares for an influx of visitors for next month’s total solar eclipse.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Montreal doctors' breakthrough discovery about causes of cerebral palsy giving hope
A breakthrough discovery made by doctors at the Montreal Children's Hospital about the causes of cerebral palsy is giving new hope to one West Island family.
Local Spotlight
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Conservation officers seize 9-foot python from Chilliwack home
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Ontario auto-insurance changes could leave some vulnerable, says expert
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
A tiny critter who could: Elusive Newfoundland Marten makes improbable comeback
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
Ontario man loses $12K to deepfake scam involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Record-setting pop tab collection for Ontario boy
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.