Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown announced on Sunday that he is entering the race for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party.
The new candidate has deep roots in Brampton, an area of the country where the Conservatives need to improve their records if they want to form a government.
Patrick Brown is a former MP. He was also leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario from 2015 to 2018. He resigned from that post following allegations of sexual misconduct.
This week, Mr. Brown and the CTV network, which he was suing for defamation following this report, reached an amicable agreement. The CTV network news service expressed “regret” for incorrect information.
He was elected mayor of Brampton a few months after his resignation.
Mr Brown is the fifth candidate to enter the race to succeed Erin O’Toole. The others are former Quebec premier Jean Charest, MPs Pierre Poilievre and Leslyn Lewis, and Ontario independent MP Roman Baber.
The name of the next Conservative leader will be announced on September 10.
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