Federal Conservatives hire outside lawyer to review Patrick Brown's appeal request
The Conservative Party of Canada has brought in an outside lawyer to help determine whether one of its committees has the jurisdiction to hear Patrick Brown challenge his disqualification.
The news comes as Jean Charest's leadership campaign confirms it was approached by the same organizer whose allegation against Brown led to his ousting -- but says after learning she would be going public came to a "mutual agreement" to part ways.
The Conservatives' decision to remove Brown from the race over an allegation he breached federal financing laws has left party brass preparing for what could be a lengthy lawsuit.
Brown has maintained that his campaign did nothing wrong. To steer his fight, he has hired Marie Henein, a high-profile lawyer who successfully defended former broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi and retired vice-admiral Mark Norman.
Last week, Henein wrote to the party's top brass requesting its dispute resolution appeal committee be convened and that an appeal date be set, asking to hear back no later than last Saturday.
Conservative spokesman Yaroslav Baran confirmed the party responded Friday night.
"The Conservative Party of Canada has been reviewing whether the dispute resolution (appeals) committee has jurisdiction to consider the appeal submitted by Mr. Brown's legal counsel," he wrote.
"Independent counsel has therefore been retained to advise on this important question, which will guide the party's response to Mr. Brown's lawyers."
The outside counsel is expected to recommend to the appeals committee whether it can hear Brown's appeal, based on the party's rules.
Brown's campaign is also considering what other avenues may exist to fight the party's decision, which has seized its top officials since it was made.
Ian Brodie, chair of the leadership election organizing committee that voted to remove Brown, emailed party members last week saying Brown knew the allegations he was facing and the party needed to act because it couldn't afford to have a candidate under investigation for breaking federal laws.
Details of the allegation were made public when Debbie Jodoin, a longtime Conservative organizer, released a statement through her lawyer last Thursday saying she had been paid by a corporation for her work on Brown's campaign, and that he helped make the arrangement.
The same day Jodoin went public, she informed Charest's campaign that she would be doing so, because they had been in talks about her joining the team, a campaign spokeswoman said.
Michelle Coates Mather said Jodoin approached the campaign on June 27 and they were in talks about finalizing a contract for her to assist them get out the vote.
"She came to us on July 7 to confirm she was the whistleblower and that she would be making a public statement," said Coates Mather.
"Following that discussion, she and our campaign came to a mutual agreement not to proceed with the contract."
Apart from the race to lead the federal Conservatives, Brown has yet to divulge his plans for a municipal one.
Brown entered the race without resigning his job as mayor of Brampton, a city about 45 minutes from Toronto, and previously said he would consider running again in October's municipal election if he thought he couldn't win the federal race.
He has until Aug. 19 to register as a mayoral candidate, and a spokesman said over the weekend he won't be making any decisions about running for a second time until he has time to talk with his friends and family.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Today Canadians will remember and honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Two nephews of the beloved Harry R. Hamilton share stories about his life and legacy.
Canada cancels automatic 10-year multiple-entry visas, tightens rules
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Trump announces Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, will serve as 'border czar'
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says that Tom Homan, his former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as "border czar" in his incoming administration.
Alien-like signal from 2023 has been decoded. The next step is to figure out what it means
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
Bleeding and in pain, a woman endured a harrowing wait for miscarriage care due to Georgia's restrictive abortion law
Since the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, miscarriage management has become trickier and in some cases, deadlier.
The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.
His wife was swept away by Hurricane Helene鈥檚 floodwaters. Now he鈥檚 been scammed out of nearly US$40,000
Rod Ashby was desperate to find his wife Kim Ashby after their newly built home in Elk Park, North Carolina, was swept away by Hurricane Helene鈥檚 floodwaters in late September and she went missing.
Canadian veterans remember how they eased tensions as UN peacekeepers in ethnically split Cyprus
It was the first time that Canadian UN peacekeeper Michelle Angela Hamelin said she came up against the raw emotion of a people so exasperated with their country's predicament.
Local Spotlight
Should Toronto tear up its bike lanes to improve traffic flow? Critics say it's not so simple
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.