Brampton (ON)/CMEDIA: Patrick Brown, 43, has officially launched his campaign in Brampton, Ont., where he has served as mayor since 2018, and joined the race to lead the federal Conservatives.
Brown in his speech at the Queen’s Manor Event Centre with his wife, Genevieve, and their two children Sunday said he was looking for people who have never voted Conservative, and voted for other parties to feel welcome in our family.
Known as a hardworking organizer within the party, Brown is the fifth candidate to enter the Conservative leadership race.
Having his political roots in Brampton, Conservatives are aware they need to grow their support if they hope to form a government.
In his speech, Brown addressed his support for carbon pricing during his time as leader of the Progressive Conservatives in Ontario and added if he is elected leader, the party would decide on its environmental policy collectively.
Recently Brown wrote to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to forgo a planned increase for April 1, in wake of the skyrocketing price of gas and other affordability issues.
Brown also promised to rebuild trust with Canada’s “cultural communities,” whose support Conservatives must win over if they hope to win the next election.
Brown’s speech also opposed Quebec’s Bill 21, a law prohibiting public servants in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols on the job.
Born in Toronto, he was a young Tory who in 2000 was elected as a city councilor in Barrie, Ont. From there, he became an MP in former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper’s government.
Brown left federal politics after winning the leadership of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative party in 2015, where he served as the province’s Opposition leader until 2018.
#Canada; #Ontario; #Brampton; #PatrickBrown; #BramptonMayor; #OntarioOppositionLeader #OntarioProgressiveConservativeparty
