Brown’s disqualification by the Leadership Election Organizing Committee has many calling the process unfair and tainted
On Tuesday night, members of the Conservative Leadership Election Organizing Committee (L.E.O.C) held a hasty vote on whether to disqualify Brown from the race. With an 11 to 6 vote to remove him, the L.E.O.C. members explained that Brown had violated financing rules and was a “serious Misconduct of wrongdoing.”
Brown’s team responded quickly on Wednesday, saying they “first learned of the meeting and its decision through the media. “He did not get any chance to argue before the L.E.O.C. members.
The statement said that because the allegations were made anonymously, Brown’s team had to answer “Bizarre request and unsubstantiated claim” without giving full details and evidence of the allegations and without time to prepare.
The statement said the decision denied brown’s membership to more than 100,000 Canadians from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and accused the move of paving the way for Pierre Poilievre to win the general election.
“The attempt to silence Canadians and skirt democratic values through this unfounded disqualification is the only way to ensure his victory was secured,” the statement said.
Jean Charest, another arrest candidate, issued a statement urging L.E.O.C. Members to release details of the ruling, saying: “Transparency is Paramount “and “Members deserve the truth.”
Meanwhile, party sources told C.B.C.’s John Paul Tasker that Patrick Brown’s name would still be on the ballot, but party officials would ignore the choice in favour of other candidates. “The party is confident that, even with this late elimination, there is no threat to the integrity of the vote,” the source said.
Amidst the controversial ousting of a leadership candidate and calls for the party to produce proof of any wrongdoing, a surprise statement was released to the public by Jason Beitchman, the lawyer for Debra Jordoin, the whistleblower.
Jodoin accused Brown of using a third party to pay her expenses while working on his leadership campaign. It is against election finance rules to pay expenses outside the campaign funds.
While Brown continues to deny any wrongdoing, it is doubtful he will be reinstated on the ballot.
The party is set to elect its new leader on September 10, 2022.
Image source Brown social website
