Brown denies misconduct allegations
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown is denying allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against him.
A visibly upset Brown told a hastily called news conference at Queen’s Park just before 10 p.m. Wednesday night that he will defend himself against the allegations and has spoken to his lawyer to have the issue “addressed where it should be, in a court of law.”
“First, these allegations are false,” said Brown, who also appeared to be out of breath. “Every one of them. I will defend myself as hard as I can with any means at my disposal. In short, I reject these accusations in the strongest possible terms.”
He did not details the allegations in the brief news conference broadcast live on TV, but CTV News reports that two women have come forward with graphic sexual misconduct allegations against Brown.
Brown’s lawyer Jonathan Lisus told CTV News that the PC leader “categorically denies these false and defamatory allegations.”
Developments were quick. Four of his top aides quit his 2018 election campaign and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath issued a statement just before 10:30 p.m. saying that Brown “must resign, immediately.”
“He deserves his day in court, but no person can lead a political party in this province with allegations like these hanging over his head,” said the Hamilton Centre MPP. “My thoughts are with the brave young women who have spoken out to describe horrible, degrading and unsafe experiences they say happened at the hands of Patrick Brown. I’m disgusted and disturbed by these sexual misconduct allegations.”
The four aides — Brown’s chief of staff Alykhan Velshi, campaign manager Andrew Boddington, advertising manager Dan Robertson and press
secretary Nicholas Bergamini — believed they could not continue to work for Brown. Bergamini called on twitter for Brown to step down.
Ken Zeise, president of the Ontario PC party from 2008-2012, said his phone began to ring right after Brown’s news conference. He didn’t have all of the details about the allegations — and raised concern that Brown could survive this — but said the affair left him frustrated. He has known Brown since he was 15 and did not believe he would do anything improper and “that he has always conducted himself well.”
“I miss the good old days when people with serious allegations went to the police and not to the media,” the Stoney Creek resident told The Hamilton Spectator. “I’m not trying to dismiss any potential victim, but there should be a process to follow ... people with an axe to grind can take out an opponent by making these allegations.’
Zeise, a member of the party’s nomination committee, was dismissive of Horwath’s call for Brown to resign and called it “self-serving.” And he was also critical of the four aides who quit, who he says knows and likes.
Brown served as Barrie MP from 2006-2015 before he became PC leader in 2015. CTV News said both women were young at the time, with one in high school and the other in first-year university. Both say they were drunk at the time after being out at a bar with Brown. Both allege the incidents occurred in Brown’s home.
The former high school student said the incident occurred about 10 years ago and that Brown asked her for a sex act while he had her in a room in his house for between five and 10 minutes. She described the situation as “controlling” and claimed to get frantic and tell him ‘like, kay you need to let me out. I’m leaving.”
The second incident allegedly occurred in 2013 after the university student met Brown on an Air Canada flight and eventually went to work for him in his constituency office. She claimed she was at a party at his home, got drunk and she was invited into Brown’s bedroom. She claimed Brown tried to kiss her and have sex with her but got out of there when she informed him she had a boyfriend and that he needed to take her home. Brown allegedly drove her to her parent’s home.
Brown said he was made aware of the allegations a few hours before the news conference. He said everyone expects society to be “safe and respectful” to them and that, “No one knows that better than me. I have two young sisters.”
Brown declined to answer questions and was followed by a trail of reporters to an SUV outside Queen’s Park.