FOR THE RECORD

ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK – Political memoirs, at least the Canadian variety, tend to be pretty tame, but former PC Leader Patrick Brown’s new book is causing quite a stir. Take Down: The Attempted Political Assassination of Patrick Brown – a revised title, “Attempted” being added when his political career was resuscitated by winning the Brampton mayoralty – has many of his former colleagues scrambling to discredit his version of the events that led to his provincial downfall. Relations between Brown and his successor, Premier Doug Ford, were already frosty, and now figure to get downright arctic. Ditto for current cabinet ministers trashed in the book. Lisa MacLeod, for instance, initially declined to offer an opinion, scoffing, “I don’t comment on fiction.” But when she saw how Brown depicted her, particularly her mental health struggles (which she has been quite public about), she blasted his writing as “disgusting and cruel.”

“His was the biggest betrayal because I always thought I treated him well. I recall that Fedeli sucked up to me non-stop with compliments like ‘you’re the best leader we ever had’ and … ‘you inspire me.’ He’d lay it on thick; it was over the top at times. My experience with Fedeli was that he was extremely competent, but that he was also duplicitous and too ambitious for his own good.”

·          Excerpt from former PC Leader Patrick Brown’s new book, which is less than complimentary about many of his former colleagues, including the current Finance Minister. Brown’s memoir also tells of sexual harassment allegations against Fedeli in 2017 (never pursued, due to lack of evidence). Fedeli vehemently denies any such claim, and told reporters he is considering legal action against Brown. In a show of support, almost everyone in the PC caucus wore a yellow tie – Fedeli’s trademark apparel – in the House.

“I would rather have the endorsement of Kathleen Wynne than Patrick Brown. The lies in this book are disgusting.”

·          Premier Ford’s book review.

“It’s hard to watch, that’s for sure. It’s really hard to watch. I don’t like watching what are, in my opinion, bad decisions. I don’t like that at all, and it worries me enormously.”

Former Premier Wynne, in a Globe and Mail feature on what it’s like to sit in the Legislature while the government rapidly undoes many of her policies.  Asked which policy is toughest to see go, she answered (‘dryly,’ according to the Globe), “It’s hard to choose.”