LATE-NIGHT BOMBSHELL — PATRICK BROWN was disqualified from the Conservative leadership race last night due to "serious allegations of wrongdoing" that "appear to violate the financial provisions of the Canada Elections Act," according to a statement from IAN BRODIE, chair of the leadership election organizing committee (LEOC).
The party became aware of the allegations "in recent weeks," the statement says, and the chief returning officer asked the Brown campaign for a written response. Information provided by the campaign "did not satisfy concerns," and the returning officer recommended that the LEOC disqualify Brown, the statement reads. Brodie said he and the returning officer did their best "to be fair to the Patrick Brown leadership campaign and provide them with the time they need to substantively refute these allegations." He said the integrity of the vote won't be affected. — Guns blazing: Shortly after midnight, the Brown campaign responded with a scathing statement of its own , suggesting the party is trying to silence Brown to guarantee victory for frontrunner PIERRE POILIEVRE. The campaign says it learned of the "secret meeting" to disqualify Brown through the media, and wasn't given an opportunity to provide a defense to the LEOC. According to the statement, the Brown campaign was never given the full details of the allegations, but it "still complied with every bizarre request and unsubstantiated claim." "This is an indictment of the CPC, and a party that is not serious about winning a general election," the statement reads. "It is an embarrassment. But, not for us. At this time our campaign is consulting our legal team." — What happened? A source told the National Post's CHRISTOPHER NARDI and RYAN TUMILTY that "at least one private company was contributing towards paying the salary of Brown campaign staff." Multiple sources told the Post that LEOC members convened a "hastily" planned meeting Tuesday night. The decision to disqualify Brown was reached with an 11-6 vote, the Post reports. — However: Brown's name will still appear on the ballot, per the CBC's JOHN PAUL TASKER: "The ballots are printed and envelopes have already been stuffed." — The backstory: Brown claimed to have signed up 150,000 new members, and focused on making targeted appeals to ethnic communities. But his campaign was dealt a blow when Conservative MP MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER stepped away as co-chair last month. Rempel Garner said she was considering a run for the leadership of Alberta's United Conservative Party, but ended up not throwing her hat in the ring. — In other Conservative news: Poilievre to skip Calgary leadership debate, will attend party with Brett Wilson, KELLY CRYDERMAN reports. SENSITIVITY OR CENSORSHIP? — There’s another debate raging over the use of the n-word in Quebec, and it’s just as fraught as ever. This time, dozens of Quebec media personalities, former ombudsmen and law professors are urging Radio-Canada to fight a recent Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission decision that ordered the public broadcaster to apologize for on-air use of the n-word. — The context: The word was used several times during a radio program in 2020, in which a host and columnist discussed PIERRE VALLIÈRES’ 1968 book, N—-- blancs d’Amérique. RICARDO LAMOUR, an artist and social worker and a Black Montrealer, filed a complaint with the CRTC after Radio-Canada’s ombudsman decided use of the word in that context didn’t violate its standards and practices. — The ruling: Last week, the CRTC ruled in a majority decision that the public broadcaster should apologize in writing, saying it “did not implement all the necessary measures to mitigate the impact of the n-word on its audience.” But the commission also acknowledged the word wasn’t used to discriminate. — The fallout: Now, various open letters are circulating in Quebec media, warning that the decision smacks of censorship and calling on Radio-Canada to seek a judicial review. The broadcaster has said it’s studying the ruling. Quebec Culture Minister NATHALIE ROY called the decision “a serious attack on freedom of expression.” Conservative leadership candidate JEAN CHAREST said Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU’s “silence on this confirms his government has no respect for this fundamental liberty.” — The latest thoughts: On Tuesday, Quebec comedian and writer XAVIER BOISROND wrote for La Presse that, as someone “who’s been repeatedly targeted by the n-word,” he feels it’s “unreasonable to censor or redact” the name of a book. If Quebec wants to tackle systemic racism, he said, “let's start by improving access to public services for Indigenous peoples, let’s fight against racial profiling by law enforcement as well as discrimination in employment and housing.” For Le Devoir, law professor PIERRE TRUDEL, who signed one of the open letters, claimed Radio-Canada is being ordered to apologize even though it hasn’t clearly broken existing rules. He also argued the CRTC’s decision ignores that “the pejorative connotation of the word … is more evident in English than it is in French.” Elsewhere in Le Devoir, ÉTIENNE PARÉ said the debate is a clear example of the two solitudes, pointing out that the CBC’s WENDY MESLEY was suspended in 2020 for using the n-word in an editorial meeting. Meanwhile, “no one has publicly demanded the heads of host ANNIE DESROCHERS and columnist SIMON JODOIN for having spoken the n-word on the air,” he wrote. — On the other hand: For Cult MTL, TOULA DRIMONIS writes that defending the “hypothetical ‘right’ to use a derogatory slur” is “a weird little hill to die on.” She also argues that Vallières’ comparison of the oppression of Quebec francophones to Black slavery in the United States is an analogy that wouldn’t hold up today, and that Vallières later “denounced most of what he had once fought for.” What do you think? Should Radio-Canada apologize for the use of the n-word on the air? Or should it stand its ground? Tell us at ottawaplaybook@politico.com. | 
