Party makes new allegation against ex-candidate Brown
• A Conservative committee reviewing Patrick Brown’s disqualification from the federal leadership race has concluded the party had the evidence it needed to recommend he be removed from contention.
Its decision, released late Friday, contains new allegations Brown used money orders to purchase memberships and allowed non-compliant membership sales through a portal.
“Mr. Brown was afforded ample opportunity to address these serious concerns,” Ian Brodie, chair of the party’s leadership election organizing committee, said in a statement.
The party says decisions made by its dispute resolution appeals committee are final.
The committee stunned party members and Canadians alike earlier this month when it voted 11-6 to remove Brown from the race. Brown has since launched his campaign for re-election as mayor of Brampton, Ont.
Brown hired Marie Henein, one of Canada’s bestknown defence lawyers, who filed a notice of appeal of the decision to oust him. The party then hired an outside lawyer to review that appeal request, and was bracing for additional legal action.
The party said the decision to disqualify Brown was based on a recommendation from its chief returning officer. A dispute resolution appeals committee had to decide whether the officer possessed the evidence to recommend his removal.
It says evidence included allegations Brown allowed more than 500 non-compliant membership sales.
“Correspondence on this issue from the candidate indicates both an unwillingness and an inability to provide the (chief returning officer) with information about the individuals who were accessing the portal to register memberships the (party) had found to be non-compliant,” the decision says.
It said Brown left the issue unresolved for two weeks and gave “evasive responses.” Brown has not yet responded to a request for comment from The Canadian Press.
The decision also addresses an allegation that Brown may have broken federal election law, which was brought to the party by a whistleblower.
After Brown’s ousting, Debbie Jodoin, a longtime organizer with the party, came forward as the one who spoke up, alleging Brown arranged for a thirdparty corporation to pay her to work on his campaign. Jodoin said she began working as regional organizer for Brown’s campaign in May.
“Mr. Brown told me that it was permissible for me to be employed by a company as a consultant, and then for that company to have me volunteer with the campaign,” Jodoin said in a statement released by her lawyers.
“He connected me by text message with a third party for that purpose. I trusted him, but as time went on I became increasingly concerned with the arrangement and suspected it was not OK.”
Jodoin shared her concerns with the party through her lawyer.
Brown has denied wrongdoing and said the party didn’t provide his campaign enough details for him to properly respond.
In its decision, the dispute committee says the party offered Brown a chance to provide exculpatory evidence. “He did not,” the decision says. “Instead, the candidate offered the explanation of an innocent mistake and an offer to reimburse any implicated corporation expenses. That is an excuse, not exculpatory evidence.”