February 26, 2018

PC Party of Ontario Executive Committee

c/o Jag Badwal, President

PC Party of Ontario Leadership Election Organizing Committee

c/o Hartley Lefton, Chair
Geoff Ritchie, CEO

Dear Jag, Hartley and Geoff:

I want to start by thanking the PC Party Executive Committee, leadership committee and nominations
committee for approving my candidacy, and for having faith in our Members to let them decide the future
direction of our Party.

I am also immensely grateful to the people of Barrie and Simcoe County, who gave me the strength to stand
up again after being knocked down. The outpouring of support from my home town, and from all corners of
Ontario, inspired me to stand tall and fight for the truth. The horror of being falsely impugned on national
television is devastating, but the affection people have shown me throughout this travesty has been very
moving. I will be forever grateful to the thousands of supporters – PC members and non­members alike –
who have stood by me as I sought truth and justice.

Having said all this, I can no longer stand as a candidate in our Party’s leadership race.

There are three reasons why I have decided I must withdraw my name.

Focus on holding CTV Accountable

I have always believed it necessary to stand up against injustice. I have done so when supporting democratic
movements around the world, when shining a light on the scourge of genocide, and when fighting political
corruption here in Ontario.

The lack of journalistic integrity demonstrated by CTV News led to an instant execution without a trial. I am a
strong supporter of the #MeToo movement, but false allegations broadcast by the media diminish that
movement and minimize the voices of women who come forward honestly and with pure intentions. That
could not be allowed to stand. It had to be challenged.

At the same time, I also did not want to allow CTV’s slanderous reporting to jeopardize my mission and that
of 100,000+ PC Party members to implement the moderate, responsible fiscally conservative policies put
forward in The People’s Guarantee, for the benefit of 14 million Ontarians.

I have been emboldened by the early successes we have seen on both fronts over the last few weeks. With
respect to the false allegations, CTV has now admitted that key elements of their original slanderous story
were not true. Multiple witnesses from the nights in question have come forward to contradict the false
claims. Evidence of unreported relationships between the accusers and those standing to benefit from these
lies has emerged. A report from one of the accusers’ university professors has emerged, calling the report
into question. It has now been revealed that CTV misled viewers as to the identity of their interviewer. There
continues to be no complaint ever made to or investigation by the police about any alleged “assault”. And I
have voluntarily taken professional lie­detector tests and passed with flying colours – twice.
With respect to my goal of seeing The People’s Guarantee become the blueprint for Ontario’s re­emergence
as Canada’s economic engine, the Party apparatus re­approved me as a candidate for the leadership, and
since then dozens of our Party’s candidates have expressed their support for our plan.

But it has become increasingly clear that I can not continue to try to dedicate my full attention to both
missions at once. We have already achieved significant success in exposing the allegations as fabrication, but
that effort has consumed a significant amount of my time. I simply can not run a provincial Party Leadership
Campaign and, if successful, square off against Kathleen Wynne in the most important election in a
generation ­ while at the same time continuing my fight to prove that the allegations are lies. You simply can
not shoot on two nets at the same time. My focus needs to be on ensuring that due process, journalistic
integrity, and democracy are preserved in Canada. Unfortunately, a continued leadership campaign would
distract me from continuing to expose the truth and holding CTV accountable for their willingness to allow
the level of professional journalism in this country to descend into realm of tabloid gossip.

Focus on Policy

I entered this leadership race to finish the job we started together. I wanted to ensure we put an end to the
political corruption and wasteful government of Kathleen Wynne. I also wanted to stand up to my political
adversaries who had perpetrated this political assassination. A few backroom strategists at Queen’s Park
should not dictate our democracy.

But it has become increasingly evident that my participation in this democratic race has, for some, become a
source of distraction from the real goal of replacing this tired Liberal government with a pragmatic,
moderate, fiscally responsible alternative.

Although 35 candidates and my close friends all urged me to get into this race in order to stand up against
injustice, lies and deceit, my reasons last week were the same as they were three years ago: to bring about
change that helps make everyday life more affordable for Ontario families. I wanted to do that by continuing
to promote the sensible, fully­costed policies developed by thousands of Ontarians over the course of a year,
as set out in The People’s Guarantee. But after a week of self­reflection, it is clear that the hit job perpetrated
against me by CTV and my political adversaries continues to be a distraction from important discussions
about public policy, affordability, child care, mental health, the environment, and respect for taxpayers.

I am calling on the remaining leadership candidates to put thoughtful, considered, affordable, pragmatic
public policy first. Let’s distinguish ourselves from the Liberals by showing that the PC Party is about putting
people first, not about our own political interests.

Christine, Doug, Caroline and Tanya are in an ideal position to do this, because our Party has so much to
offer.

Christine Elliott has a long history in our Party and in Caucus, and has been one of the province’s most
respected voices on health care. Her work as Patient Ombudsman is commendable and I share her passion
for the treatment of mental health. We are lucky to have Christine Elliott in our political family.

Doug Ford has tenacity and a common touch with people that I have always admired. He is a committed
conservative. He jumped right in when I asked for help in the Scarborough and Sault Ste. Marie byelections.
We fought together to stop Kathleen Wynne’s proposed tolls on the DVP and the Gardiner Expressway in the
fall of 2016. I encouraged Doug Ford to run as an MPP in Etobicoke North as I felt he would be an advocate
for the taxpayer. We are lucky to have Doug Ford in our political family.

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Caroline Mulroney is a new and fresh force on our team. Like her father before her, whose work I greatly
admire in ending apartheid in South Africa, recognizing an independent Ukraine, combating acid rain and the
historic Free Trade Agreement, I believe she shares a belief in the attributes of modern pragmatic
conservatism. That is why I pursued her to run for MPP. We are lucky to have Caroline Mulroney in our PC
family.

While I may disagree fundamentally with Tanya Granic Allen on social issues, I also believe that the PC Party
must welcome all conservatives and she should be welcome in a broad­based Progressive Conservative
family.

Our focus must return to the moderate conservative platform that our Party members worked so hard to
develop, in the best interests of all Ontarians, if Kathleen Wynne is to be defeated.

Protecting Family and Friends

It has become very clear that my political adversaries, collaborating with the media through an endless
supply of rumours and innuendo, will stop at nothing to preserve their own self­interests as long as I am in
the race. They are no longer just targeting me. They are now targeting my friends and family. I can take a
punch, but it stings when it is unfairly directed at the people I love instead of at me.

Lifelong friends were subjected to attacks as soon as I entered the leadership race. Shots were fired
indiscriminately against anyone associated with me ­ friends within the Party, business colleagues in Barrie,
great people who worked with me at Queen’s Park. They didn't sign up for this. It pains me to cause them
this difficulty. My friends and colleagues are amazing people and I want to be a source of support for them,
not grief.

My family loves me more than I can express in words. I am so lucky to have their unqualified support. They
are my foundation and my inspiration. But these past few weeks have been so hard on them. They felt the
arrows even more acutely than I did. It has been gut­wrenching to see my own family in tears, pushed to the
edge, even suffering anxiety and panic attacks requiring medical intervention as a result of this experience.
My sister recently became a partner at a major law firm – a huge achievement in her own professional life ­
but missed the celebration thrown in her honour because she refused to leave my side. The guilt and pain in
seeing them hurt because people want to come after me is indescribable. I think Ontarians have seen by now
that I am a fighter. I don't mind taking punches. I can deal with the attacks. But I can not allow my family to
suffer this way as a result of my own ambition to finish the job I started.

Lastly, my partner. She never signed up to be in the public eye, yet she ended up on the front page of the
Toronto Star, and the subject of an irresponsible report by a rogue MPP – all triggered by the original attack
piece. She is a consummate professional who works for SickKids Foundation and loves the work she does. We
never dated during the brief time that she worked at Queen’s Park for another MPP – I was not even an
elected MPP at the time. Nor did we travel together while she worked there. These facts seem to have been
conveniently omitted from the story.

The truth is that I was a very difficult person to date. We had an on and off relationship because of the nature
of my job. I was never home. I was always touring the province. Throughout it all, her family always
recognized the special bond we have and encouraged us to work through the hard days. We always make
each other laugh, no matter the circumstance or stress level ­ which is pretty amazing. The silver lining from
this CTV libel, if there is one, is that it has brought us closer together. She refused to leave my side
throughout this ordeal and I am forever thankful for that. It has too much of a blow to see someone I love
unwillingly exposed and attacked.

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Moving Forward

Rest assured, however, that I plan to remain active in the conservative movement. I am and will continue to
be a committed volunteer, donor and activist. I believe the best thing I can do for the PC Party at this time is
ensure that we win the riding of Barrie­Springwater­Oro Medonte as part of a PC Party government on June
7.

I plan to continue to be a voice for a moderate, diverse and inclusive Progressive Conservative Party. I was
proud to be the first PC Leader to lead an official delegation in the Toronto Pride Parade. I was proud to
welcome everyone into the PC Party no matter where they were born, who they love, what god they worship
or the colour of their skin. Our membership and candidates have become more diverse than ever before, and
I am so proud of what we accomplished together under my leadership: building a Party that truly reflects the
mosaic that is Ontario. I am proud that, together, we stood up against hate with the Islamophobia motion. I
am proud to have spoken passionately about there being no contradiction in being a proud Conservative and
caring about the environment. I believe our work over the last few years has shone a much needed light on
issues like the lack of funding for mental health and autism.

That work was achieved with the unwavering support of tens of thousands of Party members and Ontarians
at large. However, a few in particular have been critical to this mission. MPPs Toby Barrett, Rick Nicholls and
Ross Romano have been trusted friends and a tremendous source of advice and support. We need more
public servants like them. I am also greatly appreciative of some of the cultural leaders who really changed
the face of our PC Party: Babu Nagalingam, Adam Ibrahim, Miriam Ku, Siri Vallipuranathar, Gurdev Gill,
Angely Pacis and Pervez Akhter. These individuals and those around them played critical roles in diversifying
the Party. The groups at LGTBTory and PC Women­in­Politics have also had a tremendously positive effect on
our Party and I am grateful for their efforts.

I want to continue to fight for a PC Party that unites people. I believe in a PC Party that brings Ontarians
together to achieve our collective goals of good government, fiscal responsibility, social compassion and a
view towards a more prosperous tomorrow. We must always be the Party that prioritizes people over
partisanship.

We must embrace the notion that there is no monopoly on a good idea, and remember that God gave us two
ears and one mouth, so that we may listen twice as much as we speak. We must be open to working with
anyone and everyone to achieve Ontario’s greatest potential.

While I am discontinuing the pursuit of my goal to lead this great and proud Party into government as our
next Premier, I remain steadfast in my love for Ontario and Canada.

Sincerely,

Patrick Brown