Debra Jodoin, through her attorney, released a statement Thursday night after the party spent the past two days dealing with the fallout from Brown’s disqualification from the race. The chairman of the party’s leadership election organizing committee said on Tuesday that its members had voted 11 to six to bar him from the campaign due to “serious allegations of wrongdoing”.
Read more: Patrick Brown: Liberal MP seeks inquiry into whether CPC ‘benefited’ from alleged wrongdoing
Brown claimed he was not given details by the party about the allegation against him. He said what was presented to the committee was an anonymous allegation that someone working on his campaign was being paid by a company. Story continues below ad While the party did not release details of the allegation, it said it appeared to violate funding rules under the Elections Canada Act and came from Brown’s own campaign. A source previously told Global News that the allegation that sparked Brown’s disqualification from the party leadership race involved a Brampton company paying workers for Brown’s campaign. On Thursday, Jodoin, who describes herself as an experienced organizer who has been involved with the party and its predecessor for more than 20 years, revealed that she is the whistleblower. 2:06 Patrick Brown fights disqualification from Conservative leadership race Patrick Brown fights disqualification from Conservative leadership race Jodoin said in April 2022, the month after Brown announced he would enter the contest to replace former Tory leader Erin O’Toole, she joined the campaign “at his request” to help as a regional organiser. “Mr. Brown told me it was permissible for me to work for a company as a consultant and then have the company volunteer for the campaign,” he said. Story continues below ad “He connected me via text message with a third party for this purpose. I trusted him, but as time went on I became more and more concerned about the deal and suspected it wasn’t right.” The statement said in June, she asked Brown to have the campaign cover her expenses, saying she expressed surprise and communicated that she was “in on it.” “A company paid me and paid my expenses, not the Brown campaign,” he said. 3:40 Political commentator reacts to Patrick Brown’s start in the CCP leadership race Her attorney Jason Beitchman said Jodoin shared her concerns with the party and asked that her identity remain confidential. Trending Stories
Trophy hunter shot dead by roadside in South Africa Canadian swimmer says she was drugged on final night of World Championships
“On that basis, she felt it was her duty to raise her concerns and let others determine what, if any, further steps should be taken,” Beitchman said. Story continues below ad “Ma’am. Jodoin categorically rejects any suggestion that she was coerced or pressured by others to come forward and did so of her own free will.” After Jodoin released her statement Thursday, Brown’s campaign responded, reiterating that the party had an obligation to provide them with the full details of the matter and said they only learned of them through the media. “Once Ms. Jodoin provided information, it was the duty of the Conservative Party to conduct herself fairly and transparently,” said a statement released by campaign spokesman Chisholm Pothier.
Read more: Brown attacks Conservatives, Poulievre after exclusion: ‘Not a fair election’
He said that what usually happens during a campaign, where thousands of people participate, is that issues arise that go to that campaign to fix. “Unfortunately, that didn’t happen in this case because of course that wasn’t the goal. The goal was to exclude Patrick Brown from the leadership race and narrow the field.” Brown himself accused top party officials of pushing him out of the race as a way to take advantage of his primary opponent, longtime Ottawa-area MP Pierre Pouliev. Poilievre’s campaign had said the claim did not come from them. Story continues below ad 2:35 Patrick Brown responds to exclusion from Conservative leadership race Patrick Brown responds to exclusion from Conservative leadership race The allegation that led to Brown’s ouster was presented to them last week and was the subject of an exchange of letters between her and the party. Pothier released a portion of a letter he said the campaign sent to the party’s election organizing committee last week in response to concerns he had. He said he was identifying the situation involving Jodoin. The letter states that it was Jodoin who approached Brown asking for work on his campaign. She says there were none at the time, and Brown referred her to a friend of his, who was also a supporter. The campaign said Brown understood Jodoin was volunteering for him outside of the work she did for his friend.
Read more: Patrick Brown calls for Tory leadership to be blocked despite party rules
Story continues below ad The campaign said if that didn’t happen, it was prepared to refund the amount, which it understood to be less than $10,000. The campaign said it was not aware of any similar incidents. Canada’s election commissioner confirmed Thursday that it is reviewing information about the allegation made against Brown, but a spokesman, citing confidentiality, would not disclose the nature or details of what it received. According to sources with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity, the allegation against Brown included documents and text messages. Since his removal, Brown has hired high-profile lawyer Marie Henein as his legal adviser, who has asked the party and those involved in the decision to remove him from the campaign to prepare for the expected legal action. – With files from Global News © 2022 The Canadian Press
