Mayor Brown enters CPC Leadership Race

Patrick Brown, the Mayor of Brampton Ontario, and former Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario is in the race to replace Erin O'Toole as Conservative Leader.

In an announcement Sunday morning in Brampton, Brown proclaimed that he's in and he's in the fight, "When I wake up and think about the moments that changed my life, I think about the responsibility that I have to my children and to each of you, I know that I have to keep on fighting.

"That is why today I am asking you to help me fight for this future as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada," Brown stated.

Brown is a former MP, and former Ontario's Progressive Conservative, and is now serving as Mayor of Brampton.

"I'm more than ready for this fight, I know what it takes to keep fighting when everyone comes against you and still win," Brown stated.

In 2018 Brown was forced to resign after CTV had reported that he had an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl.

Brown in return launched an $8-million defamation suit against CTV, which was settled last week. CTV acknowledged that some details provided to the network required correction.

In his launch speech Brown stated, "When then Media tried to make me Cancel Cultures latest victim, smearing me with false accusations, I fought back and won."

Looking to the party, Brown said that he hopes Canadians who have been turned off by recent infighting within the party come back to the party, "I want them to get inspired by and fight alongside me for a better future for our country."

Brown said that it's time for Conservatives to win in all parts of the country, including the north, the GTA, and places where the party hasn't done traditionally well.

Without mentioning names, Brown took a shot at Pierre Poilievres backroom team, " We must be the party that cultural communities can trust. As a leader, I will restore the faith that was broken by two policies that should not have seen the light of day.

"The barbaric cultural practices tip-line, and the niqab ban," Brown said. These two policies were introduced by the Harper Government leading up to the 2015 federal election which says the Conservatives were removed from office.

"Other leadership campaigns are taking the advice from the same senior advisors who decided to launch those same policies in the 2015 federal election campaign," He added. "Advisors who never admitted the harm that those policies did, both to Canada and to our Party."

He added that those same advisors to this day continue to back those same policies, "Those policies and that campaign gave us Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They attempted to normalize intolerance and served only to stifle Canadians' right to religious freedoms. I will never back down from religious freedoms."

Brown is the fifth person to enter the race, which includes Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis, Independent Ontario MPP Roman Baber, and former Premier of Quebec Jean Charest.

Conservatives have until the 19th of April to announce their intentions to stand for the leadership.