Simcoe North MPP and former PC Leader Patrick Brown made his first stop in Windsor since stepping down as the party's leader in the midst of sexual misconduct allegations last month.
Brown helped Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Candidate Mohammad Latif christen his new campaign headquarters on Wyandotte St. E. near Pillette Ave. Saturday.
MPP Patrick Brown and Windsor-Tecumseh @OntarioPCParty MPP Candidate Mohammad Latif arrive with fellow MPP Candidate @AGIbrahim7 for the grand opening of Latif’s new campaign headquarters in east-Windsor. #cklw pic.twitter.com/c0DMmegi8j
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) February 24, 2018
The Liberal Party recently released a statement leading up to Browns appearance accusing Latif and Windsor-West PC MPP Candidate Adam Ibrahim of, "propping up someone who stands firmly accused of sexual misconduct."
.@OntarioPCParty MPP Patrick Brown speaks to supporters at the opening of Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Candidate Mohammad Latif’s campaign office in east-Windsor. #cklw pic.twitter.com/XfUqBCd3gc
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) February 24, 2018
He says, after pulling out of the public eye, it was his fellow party members that encouraged him to get back in the game.
"I'm not going to get into the night of the palace coup per-se, but I would say the reason I got back into the race was because of the support and encouragement and motivation to do so by our party members and our party candidates," says Brown. "Who didn't want us to deviate from the course we're taking, who felt confident we would defeat Kathleen Wynne."
Latif tells AM800 News Brown will regain the top spot for the party.
"I'm pretty confident he's going to be our next leader," says Latif. "With Patrick I know he can't do these kinds of things," he says. "I think these allegations are false, period, there's no discussion on it."
Windsor-Tecumseh @OntarioPCParty MPP Candidate Mohammad Latif takes the podium at the grand opening of his east-Windsor headquarters. #cklw pic.twitter.com/8uMiEl0Vsc
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) February 24, 2018
Brown says a divide within the PC Party is a concern with an upcoming election.
"My bigger concern about disunity in the PC Party would be if we lost another election to the politically corrupt Wynne Liberals," he says. "I believe that running an election campaign without a platform, running away from our platform would be unfortunately a recipe to the do just that."
Voting for Tory leadership runs from March 2-8 with the Leadership Convention set for March 10 in Toronto.