IAN Brodie, Chair, Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) of the Conservative Party of Canada announced on Tuesday that Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has been disqualified from the party’s leadership race.

Brodie said in a statement: “In recent weeks, our Party became aware of serious allegations of wrongdoing by the Patrick Brown campaign that appear to violate the financial provisions of the Canada Elections Act. Following our Rules and Procedures for the 2022 Leadership, the Chief Returning Officer notified the Patrick Brown campaign of the allegations and asked for a written response. He also withheld the interim membership list from the Patrick Brown 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. The Chief Returning Officer has therefore recommended to LEOC that LEOC disqualify Patrick Brown and earlier tonight LEOC agreed to do so. The Party will be sharing the information it has gathered with Elections Canada, who is responsible for ensuring compliance with, and enforcement of, the Canada Elections Act.”

Brodie noted: “Throughout the investigation into these allegations, the Chief Returning Officer and I have done our best to be fair to the Patrick Brown leadership campaign and provide them with the time they need to substantively refute these allegations. 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.”

Brodie added: “While we felt it important to provide a transparent response to Party members about this matter, because this issue is now subject to further investigation, we will not be speaking further on the subject.”

The remaining five candidates in the leadership race are Ontario MPs Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis and Scott Aitchison, former Quebec premier Jean Charest, and Roman Baber, who was a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Ontario.

BROWN’S campaign team hit back in a statement, saying they were not present at the LEOC’s “secret meeting” and were not given an opportunity to defend themselves.

The statement said: “This decision is based on anonymous allegations. Our campaign was never provided with the full details or evidence of these allegations, failing an even basic requirement of due process. In recent days, the party has been on a fishing expedition requesting information with which we have cooperated entirely through our lawyers. LEOC never particularized the anonymous allegations, contrary to its statement tonight, and even though ample time was not provided to respond to questions we still complied with every bizarre request and unsubstantiated claim.

“Simply put, there was no due process provided in the decision, and an unprecedented reverse onus was applied to our campaign.

“This decision has disenfranchised over a hundred thousand Canadians from BC to Nova Scotia that chose to join the party, inspired by Brown’s vision for a multicultural and inclusive movement. Many of these members come from the very ridings Conservatives have not been winning and need to win to from government.

“Why is the party doing this? It was expecting a coronation for Pierre Poilievre. When the final membership numbers came in, it became clear Poilievre did not have the points to win this race. The attempt to silence Canadians and skirt democratic values through this unfounded disqualification is the only way to ensure that victory was secured.

“This is reprehensible, undemocratic behaviour that breaks faith with hundreds of thousands of Canadians that embraced Patrick Brown’s vision of a modern, inclusive Conservative Party. This is an indictment of the CPC, and a party that is not serious about winning a general election.

“It is an embarrassment. But, not for us.

“At this time our campaign is consulting our legal team.”

ON Thursday (July 7), Debra Jodoin, identified herself as the whistleblower who informed the party that Brown had encouraged her to work for him.

She said in a statement: “In April, 2022, I agreed to join the Patrick Brown Leadership Campaign at Mr. Brown’s request to assist as a regional organizer. 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.”

Jason Beitchman, counsel for Jodoin, told the media that she had provided the text messages between her and Brown to Brodie.