Despite #MeToo allegations, Patrick Brown has made a comeback. Chris Young/Canadian Press
In yet another example that shows being accused of sexual misconduct is not a death knell for a man's career, former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown was elected mayor of Brampton Monday night.Brown was the subject of a CTV investigation in January in which two women accused him of sexual misconduct. It was one of the more prominent examples of the #MeToo movement hitting Canada. He stepped down after a tearful press conference, while vowing to clear his name; later he filed an $8 million lawsuit against CTV.
Brampton is a city of more than 500,000 in the Greater Toronto Area. After reportedly dodging the question of how long he’d actually resided in the area, Brown admitted he got a place there in June with his wife, who he married in October.Follow Manisha Krishnan on Twitter.Sign up for the VICE Canada Newsletter to get the best of VICE Canada delivered to your inbox.
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He defeated incumbent Mayor Linda Jeffrey on Monday.“It’s been a difficult year. The support of family and friends has meant the world. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst adversary, having to go through false allegations,” he said noting he plans to “fight for Brampton.”
Brown’s year has been nothing short of insane. After he resigned as PC leader, he entered the PC leadership race. Then he dropped out of that and attempted to run for chair of Peel Region, but his replacement, Premier Doug Ford, cancelled that election. That’s when Brown registered in the Brampton mayoral race.