Brown campaign accuses CPC of disqualifying him to ensure Poilievre victory in leadership race

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown claimed that the Conservative Party's disqualification of his bid for the leadership position was done "based on anonymous allegations" and that the party may be acting to set up frontrunner Pierre Poilievre with a victory.

The announcement of Brown's disqualification came late Tuesday night after "serious allegations of wrongdoing," the Conservatives said.

Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) Chair Ian Brodie said that the party "regret[s] having to take these steps but we have an obligation to ensure that both our Party’s Rules and federal law are respected by all candidates and campaign teams."

"Throughout the investigation into these allegations, the Chief Returning Officer and I have done our best to be fair to the Patrick Brown leadership campaign and provide them with the time they need to substantively refute these allegations... None of these problems has any impact on the integrity of the vote itself," they said.

Brodie said that there are credible allegations that the Patrick Brown campaign violated the Canada Elections Act, with sources saying that at least one corporation has been paying for Brown's expenses.

"This decision is based on anonymous allegations. Our campaign was never provided with the full details or evidence of these allegations, failing an even basic requirement of due process," Brown's campaign said in response to the accusations.

"Why is the party doing this? It was expecting a coronation for Pierre Poilievre. When the final membership numbers came in, it became clear Poilievre did not have the points to win this race," Brown's campaign said.

They say that the party is moving to "silence Canadians and skirt democratic values" by disqualifying Brown to "ensure [Poilievre's] victory was secured."

"This is reprehensible, undemocratic behaviour that breaks faith with hundreds of thousands of Canadians that embraced Patrick Brown's vision of a modern, inclusive Conservative Party. This is an indictment of the CPC, and a party that is not serious about winning a general election. It is an embarrassment. But not for us," the Brown campaign said in a statement, adding that they are consulting their legal team.