A longtime Conservative Party organizer says Patrick Brown was personally involved in an arrangement in which she was paid by a third party for work she did on his leadership campaign.
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 organizing committee for the leadership election said on Tuesday that its members had voted 11 to 6 to disqualify him from the campaign due to “serious allegations of wrongdoing”.
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Brown claims he has not received details from 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 corporation.
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While the party did not release details of the allegation, it said it appeared to contravene funding rules under the Canada Elections Act and came from Brown’s own campaign.
A source previously told Global News that the allegation that disqualified Brown 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 was 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, a month after Brown announced she would enter the race to replace former Tory leader Erin O’Toole, she joined the campaign “at his request” to help as a regional organizer.
“Mr. Brown told me that it was permissible for me to be hired by a company as a consultant and then for that company to have me volunteer for the campaign,” she said.
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“He connected me via text message to a third party for this purpose. I trusted him, but as time went on I became increasingly worried about the arrangement and suspected that it was not right.”
The statement said in June she asked Brown’s campaign to cover her expenses, saying he expressed surprise and said he was “busy.”
“A corporation paid me and paid my expenses, not the Brown campaign,” she said.
3:40 Political commentator reacts to Patrick Brown’s removal from CPC leadership race Political commentator reacts to Patrick Brown’s removal from CPC leadership race
Her attorney, Jason Beichman, said Jodoin shared her concerns with the party and asked that her identity remain confidential.
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“Based on that, she felt it was her duty to voice her concerns and let others determine what, if any, next steps should be taken,” Beichman said.
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“Miss. Jodoin categorically rejects any suggestion that she was forced or pressured by others to come out and did so of her own free will.”
After Jodoin released his statement on Thursday, the Brown campaign responded by reiterating that the party had an obligation to provide them with the full details of the matter, and said they had only learned of them through the media.
“Once Ms. Jodoin provided information, it was the duty of the Conservative Party to behave honestly and transparently,” said a statement released by campaign spokesman Chisholm Pothier.
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It says that what usually happens over the course of a campaign involving thousands of people is that issues arise that are directed to the campaign in question for remediation.
“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen in this case because, of course, that wasn’t the intention. The goal was to disqualify Patrick Brown from the leadership race and narrow the field.”
Brown himself accused senior party officials of pushing him out of the race to favor his primary rival, longtime Ottawa MP Pierre Poilievre.
Poilievre’s campaign said the allegation did not come from them.
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2:35 Patrick Brown responds to his disqualification from the Conservative leadership race Patrick Brown responds to his disqualification from the Conservative leadership race
The allegation that led to Brown’s suspension was presented to them last week and was the subject of an exchange of letters between him and the party.
Pottier released part of a letter he said the campaign sent to the party’s organizing committee last week in response to concerns it had. He said he identified the situation involving Jodoin.
The letter says it was Jodoin who approached Brown about working on his campaign. She says there was none at the time and Brown referred her to a friend of his who was also a supporter.
The campaign said Brown understood Jodoin volunteered for him outside of the work she did for his friend.
Read more: Patrick Brown appeals Conservative leadership disqualification despite party rules
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The campaign said if that wasn’t the case, it would be willing to refund what it understands to be less than $10,000. The campaign said they were not aware of such cases.
Canada’s electoral commissioner confirmed Thursday that it was reviewing information about the allegations against Brown, but a spokesman, citing confidentiality, would not disclose the nature or details of what was received.
According to sources familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the allegation against Brown includes documents and text messages.
After his suspension, Brown hired prominent attorney Marie Henine as his legal counsel, who asked the party and those involved in the decision to suspend him from the campaign to prepare for expected legal action.
– With files from Global News
© 2022 The Canadian Press
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