Disqualification and accusations
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Disqualification and accusations
In this edition: Brown disqualified, Stiles survey, expanded booster shots, Speakership race woes, contract term changes, new MPP gigs, draft NDP leadership rules leaked
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In this 11 minute read, Patrick Brown is out of the Conservative leadership race. Who blew the whistle and what's next for Team Brown. An NDP MPP surveys supporters on the next leader. Accusations fly in the race to be Speaker. Grit interim chief incoming. Plus, meet the new PAs.
THE LEDE
The race to lead the Conservative Party just got more heated — but first, some news on a potential contender in the upcoming NDP leadership contest:
SCOOP: NDP MPP Marit Stiles — viewed as a possible replacement for former captain Andrea Horwath — is surveying supporters on how the party’s campaign went and what they would “like to see from our next leader.”
In an email to supporters, Stiles says she has had “great conversations” with NDPers “about the future of our party” over the last few weeks. “It has never been more urgent that we have a strong Official Opposition,” she explained.
newsBeyond has obtained a copy of the five-question survey that asks supporters for their thoughts on the party’s campaign in the June election and what improvements need to be made.
The survey also asks supporters about the issues they’d like to see prioritized by the party in the Legislature and what they would “like to see from the next leader.”
“Together, we can build on the things we've done well, and make the bold changes needed to inspire hope and action in the majority of Ontarians who did not vote for four more years of Ford,” Stiles said.
It could be an indication that Stiles is gearing up for a leadership bid. Other MPPs — including Joel Harden and Catherine Fife — have not ruled out a possible run for the top job. Harden is expected to announce whether he will run for the party leadership later this week. The party’s provincial council is expected to hash out a timeline for the leadership race in the coming days.
“Serious allegations:” Patrick Brown disqualified from the Tory leadership race
Patrick Brown is out of the Conservative leadership race.
Leadership election organizing committee (LEOC) chair Ian Brodie says the party made the decision to disqualify Brown over “serious allegations” of financial wrongdoing by his campaign.
The party says it asked for a written response to the allegations from the Brown camp but the information provided “did not satisfy concerns.” “I have done our best to be fair to the Patrick Brown leadership campaign,” Brodie said.
The Brown campaign fired back. “There was no due process provided in this decision,” his team said. “The attempt to silence Canadians and skirt democratic values through this unfounded disqualification is the only way to ensure [Pierre Poilievre’s] victory was secured,” they added.
The party said it will share the information it gathered with the election enforcement body. The Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections confirmed to us that it received the information related to Brown’s disqualification and will open an investigation.
Who was the whistleblower: She was a regional organizer on the Brown campaign. Debbie Jodoin blew the whistle on what she suspected “was not OK” advice from Brown.
“Mr. Brown told me that it was permissible for me to be employed by a company as a consultant and then for that company to have me volunteer with the campaign,” she said in a statement released by her lawyer.
Brown spokesperson Chisholm Pothier said the campaign wrote to the LEOC late in June on the Jodoin case — despite not being “given evidence” on the allegations. “LEOC never responded,” Pothier explained.
What’s next for the Brown camp: The campaign has hired high-profile lawyer Marie Henein to appeal the disqualification decision.
However, they acknowledge that there is a “strong likelihood [the appeal] won't succeed before the vote.” The campaign says Brown spoke with supporters and “encouraged [supporters] to stay involved, do their research and make their own choice for next leader of the party.”
Brown plans to support Jean Charest in the race but spoke of his “high regard” for Leslyn Lewis and “great admiration” for Scott Aitchison.
“Backroom deal-making:” accusations fly in the race for the Speakership
The battle for the Speaker’s chair is heating up and the NDP is accusing Government House Leader Paul Calandra of threatening to “strip” the party of senior roles around Queen’s Park if they do not agree to a unanimous vote for Nina Tangri as Speaker of the House.
Here’s what happened: NDP House Leader Peggy Sattler sat down with Calandra last Tuesday to discuss organizational matters ahead of the upcoming August sitting. The first item of business for MPPs will be electing a Speaker.
The NDP claims that Calandra threatened to strip the party of three Deputy Speaker and six committee vice chair roles if NDP MPPs do not agree to unanimously vote for Tangri and issue a joint statement in her support.
Sattler called the alleged ultimatum “dangerous.” “I am formally requesting that you immediately withdraw your threat and allow the democratic process for the election of Speaker to unfold without the taint of a rigged election,” she wrote to her Tory counterpart in a one-page letter obtained by newsBeyond.
The NDP caucus huddled Friday morning. Sattler says the idea of a unanimous vote for Tangri was “rejected unanimously.” “We will be inviting all candidates for Speaker to meet with our caucus and look forward to hearing from them about their respective visions for this important office.”
Calandra's office did not respond to a request for comment.
It is unclear whether any other MPPs are mulling a bid. Only Tangri and incumbent Speaker Ted Arnott have officially entered the race for the top job. One of the NDPers who served as Deputy Speaker — Jennifer French — may seek the Speaker's chair. The gig comes with a $36,364 pay raise and a private apartment at Queen’s Park.
NEWS WATCH
Ontario is expanding second booster shot eligibility. All individuals aged 18+ will be eligible to book starting tomorrow. The province will extend the free RAT program until the end of the year. More here.
The Ontario School Board Council of Union (OSBCU) — the union representing CUPE education workers — says it received notice that the province is “contemplating a four year-term” for the next collective agreement instead of the “standard three-year term.” The union says the province has launched a two-week consultation period on this change, according to an internal memo obtained by newsBeyond. The union will sit down with the province next Monday after initial talks began in June. The union says the government offered three dates for meetings and that the union accepted all three before the government agreed to only one. Catch up on our Q+A with the union president here.
Ottawa has given the major telecom companies 60 days to reach an agreement on emergency roaming and mutual assistance during service outages. Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne — who met with the heads of major providers — called the new directions “a first step” in the aftermath of the nationwide Rogers outage last Friday.
The Ontario Liberals have launched a campaign debrief to examine the party's performance in the June election. A three-member leadership team has been formed to oversee the debrief with former campaign manager Christine McMillan reporting to the committee. The party will hold an in-person debrief session in September and will conduct surveys with membership and local Liberals in “the weeks ahead.” A final report outlining findings and recommendations will be made public.
A draft copy of the proposed NDP leadership race guidelines was leaked by a group of NDPers behind the NewDemoChat Twitter account.
Here’s what is in the proposed rules:
Nomination paperwork must be signed by 100 NDPers in good standing. Approximately half of the signatures must come from women, gender-diverse or non-binary members, while a quarter must come from members of equity-seeking groups.
Provincial director Lucy Watson will have the power to accept or reject a candidacy.
The leader will be chosen using a preferential ranked choice ballot.
The party will host two leadership debates and two meet-and-greet events for leadership contestants. “The goal of the debates is to be a respectful and substantive exchange of views between candidates to inform members prior to the events.”
A new Liberal interim chief is incoming. The eight-member caucus will select an interim leader “in the coming weeks” before the pick is ratified by local riding association presidents and the executive council. Details on the leadership contest will be announced after an interim chief is named.
ON THE MOVE
Premier Doug Ford unveiled a slate of new parliamentary assistants to his cabinet ministers. The 43 PAs — up from 25 — will support cabmins with “legislative and committee matters.” The gigs come with a $16,000 pay hike. Here’s who Ford appointed:
Lorne Coe — Premier
Andrea Khanjin — Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Robin Martin and Dawn Gallagher Murphy — Minister of Health
Stephen Crawford and Rick Byers — Minister of Finance
Mike Harris — Minister of Legislative Affairs
John Jordan — Minister of Long-Term Care
Daisy Wai — Minister for Seniors and Accessibility
Kevin Holland — Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Brian Saunderson — Attorney General
Natalie Pierre — Minister of Colleges and Universities
Andrew Dowie and Effie Triantafilopoulos — Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
Billy Pang and Graham McGregor — Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
Logan Kanapathi and Nolan Quinn — Minister of Children, Community and Social Services
Sam Oosterhoff — Minister of Red Tape Reduction
Christine Hogarth and Bob Bailey — Solicitor General
Patrice Barnes and Matthew Rae — Minister of Education
Laura Smith and Sheref Sabawy — Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport
Deepak Anand and David Smith (Scarborough Centre) — Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
Hardeep Singh Grewal — Minister of Transportation
Natalia Kusendova — Minister of Francophone Affairs
John Yakabuski — Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Ric Bresee — Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry
Anthony Leardi — Minister of Mines
Brian Riddell and Vincent Ke — Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery
Dave Smith (Peterborough—Kawartha) — Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs
Rudy Cuzzetto and Todd McCarthy — President of the Treasury Board
Stéphane Sarrazin and Jess Dixon — Minister of Energy
Amarjot Sandhu and Vijay Thanigasalam — Minister of Infrastructure
Rob Flack and Trevor Jones — Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
The Tories have named their leadership team in the House. Veteran PC MPP Ross Romano — one of three ministers left out of cabinet — will replace Lorne Coe as Chief Government Whip.
Will Bouma is caucus chair.
Andrea Khanijin and Todd McCarthy are Deputy Whips.
Khanijin will also serve as Deputy House Leader.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed off on a shakeup in the senior ranks of the Public Service.
Christiane Fox becomes DM of Immigration
Caroline Xavier becomes Chief of the Communications Security Establishment
Gina Wilson becomes DM of Indigenous Services
Erin O'Gorman becomes President of the Canada Border Services Agency
Frances McRae becomes DM of Women and Gender Equality and Youth
Scott Harris becomes Associate DM of Immigration
Dominique Blanchard becomes Associate Secretary of the Treasury Board
Cliff Groen becomes Business Lead, Benefits Delivery Modernization, Employment and Social Development Canada
Benoît Long becomes Senior Official at the Privy Council Office
Dr. Mona Nemer has been reappointed as Canada's Chief Science Advisor. She will stay on for a term of two years.
Carter Brownlee is the new Press Secretary and Manager of Communications for the Ontario Liberal Party. Brownlee previously served as Manager of Digital Communications.
Former Liberal president Brian Johns — who resigned on Saturday — is running for a seat on Gwillimbury City Council. Johns informed the executive council of his decision to not seek another term on Saturday.
Tory strategist and pundit Melanie Paradis has launched Texture Communications, a new comms firm. “I’m thrilled to share that I have started my own consultancy,” she tweeted.
Interim NDP leader Peter Tabuns has named Doly Begum and Sol Mamakwa as the party's deputy leaders.
Peggy Sattler will stay on as House Leader
John Vanthof — who was a deputy leader — is the new chief whip
Former captain Andrea Horwath will serve as critic for Ethics and Accountability
WHAT WE’RE READING
TORONTO STAR: “‘This has been the thrill of my life’: B.C. Premier John Horgan won’t run in next election” by Jeremy Nuttall
CANADIAN PRESS: “Leadership committee chair scrutinized Patrick Brown's past during vetting: source” by Marie-Danielle Smith
“Ontario hospitals warn of more upcoming ER closures through the summer” by Allison Jones
CTV NEWS: “What we know about the network system failure that led to the Rogers outage” by Michael Lee and Rhythm Sachdeva
GLOBE AND MAIL: “Indigenous science framework removed from Ontario elementary school curriculum” by Caroline Alphonso
“Ukraine expresses ‘deep disappointment’ as Canada sends back six Russian turbines to Germany” by Steven Chase and Robert Fife
TRIVIA CORNER
Last edition’s answer: Health Minister Sylvia Jones attended Fanshawe College. She received a diploma in radio broadcasting.
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Who was the NDP ethics critic in the last Legislature? Email us your answers or reply to this email.
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