PC race down to only two contenders

McNaughton bows out and endorses MP Brown over veteran MPP Elliott

It has come down to this — the Progressive Conservative establishment versus the new guard. With MPP Monte McNaughton dropping out of the Ontario Tory leadership race Thursday, the battle lines have been drawn between the two remaining candidates, MPP Christine Elliott, who turns 60 next week, and relatively unknown Conservative MP Patrick Brown, who is 37 next month.

Elliott is a veteran member of the Ontario legislature and mother of three grown sons, while Brown is an energetic backbench MP, bachelor and career politician, who is adept at bringing new members into the party by cultivating ethnic groups.

“From where I am standing it’s youth and the desire for wholesale change and the old guard reboot,” said former Barrie MPP Rod Jackson, who is one of nine Tories who lost their seats as a result of former leader Tim Hudak’s disastrous campaign last year.

The Progressive Conservatives have lost successive elections to the Liberals since 2003, leaving party members disillusioned and wondering who has what it takes to beat the Kathleen Wynne Grits in 2018.

“I know a lot of people are struggling with it (making a choice), thinking maybe what we need is a steady hand . . . and a fresh face,” Jackson said.

When he withdrew from the leadership, the right-of-centre McNaughton was quick to throw his support behind Brown, saying he’s “exactly” what the struggling party needs.

“Patrick has (the) . . . ability to bring thousands of new members from diverse backgrounds and different points of view into our party,” McNaughton said in a statement.

Jackson said it’s hard to get a read on Brown’s politics “because he is a chameleon . . . he’s whatever you want him to be.

“He’s a retail politician. He will be wherever he needs to be to win,” he said.

The Tories will hold a convention on May 9 in Toronto where the winner will be announced.

Elliott has the support of 17 Tory caucus members compared to Brown’s four.

When the leadership race began last summer, there were five candidates: Elliott (Whitby- Oshawa), Brown, McNaughton (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex), and MPPs Vic Fedeli (Nipissing) and Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton). With files from Rob Ferguson