CBC: Patrick Brown resigns as Ontario PC leader after sexual misconduct allegations
Resignation announcement comes mere hours after Brown denied the allegations
Patrick Brown stepped down as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario early Thursday, only hours after denying allegations of sexual misconduct.
"These allegations are false and have been difficult to hear," said Brown in a statement issued just before 1:30 a.m. ET.
"However, defeating [Ontario Premier] Kathleen Wynne in 2018 is more important than one individual. For this reason, after consulting with caucus, friends and family I have decided to step down as Leader of the Ontario PC Party. I will remain on as a MPP while I definitively clear my name from these false allegations."
Read more ....
Update #1: Patrick Brown steps down as Ontario PC leader amid sexual misconduct allegations (Globe and Mail)
Update #2: PC leader Patrick Brown resigns, denies sexual misconduct allegations (CTV)
Update: I normally do not post these type of stories on this blog, but I am in this case because I know some of the people in the Ontario Conservative Party who have been impacted by this story. Regular readers of this blog know that in the past few months I have been repeatedly commenting on how much the political culture has now changed when it comes to these issues, and what is accepted and/or ignored in the past is no longer the case right now. Before the Christmas holidays I was at a Ontario Conservative event (the GF is active in politics) and I brought this up with one of the Patrick Brown's senior advisers. She pooh-poohed this entire idea, and told me that there is no need to be concerned about Patrick Brown and that by the end of 2018 we will be celebrating his election as Premier. Wow .... 6 weeks later .... he is now gone. So yes .... this is a warning to all .... in the U.S. and Canada the culture has changed when it comes to these issues, and it will continue to change in the next few years.
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