THE WHISTLEBLOWER STEPS FORWARD — Her name is DEBRA JODOIN, and she refers to herself as a former regional organizer on the PATRICK BROWN campaign.
In a statement released Thursday evening through her lawyer, JASON BEITCHMAN, Jodoin said she joined Brown’s campaign in April. “Mr. Brown told me that it was permissible for me to be employed by a company as a consultant, and then for that company to have me volunteer with the campaign,” the statement reads. “He connected me by text message with a third party for that purpose. I trusted him, but as time went on I became increasingly concerned with the arrangement and suspected it was not OK.” Jodoin says she asked Brown in June that the campaign pay her expenses. She claims Brown said he was “on it.” But shortly after, Jodoin says, “a corporation paid me and paid for my expenses, not the Brown campaign.” — Going public: The statement says Jodoin shared her concerns with the Conservative Party through her counsel, and requested that her identity be kept confidential. “Her primary interest is to ensure the integrity of the democratic process and that the rule of law is followed,” her lawyer said in the statement. “On that basis she felt it was her obligation to raise her concerns, and leave it to others to determine what further steps should be taken, if any.” Her lawyer said Jodoin was not “coerced or pressured by others to come forward.” — Call it the latest bombshell: The statement, first reported by the Globe and Mail’s ROBERT FIFE and IAN BAILEY , is the latest major development in a story that has rocked the Conservative party this week. On Tuesday night, the leadership election organizing committee (LEOC) disqualified Brown from the leadership race, citing a possible breach of financing rules but giving few other details. Corporate donations to federal parties are banned in Canada. Brown has claimed his ouster was an attempt to guarantee victory for frontrunner PIERRE POILIEVRE. His lawyers have insisted Brown “has engaged in absolutely no misconduct.” — Brown’s defense: The CBC’s VASSY KAPELOS and CATHERINE CULLEN reported Thursday evening that Brown’s campaign sent a letter to the LEOC before he was disqualified, saying Jodoin had approached Brown asking for a job on his campaign. “The letter says Brown instead referred her to his friend for a job but that Brown assumed volunteer work for his campaign would not be done on company time,” CBC reports. “Brown's campaign offered to reimburse the company that had paid Jodoin, according to the letter.” — Who is Debra Jodoin? According to her statement, she’s been a member of the Conservative party “and its predecessors” for 22 years, and has been an organizer for many different campaigns. She worked for the Brown campaign until June 3. Her LinkedIn profile shows Jodoin has indeed worked on many campaigns, including Brown’s successful campaign for the Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership in 2015 and his mayoral campaign in Brampton in 2018. She also appears to have worked on both the KEVIN O’LEARY and MAXIME BERNIER federal Conservative leadership campaigns in 2017 (O’Leary dropped out partway through), BRIAN JEAN’s unsuccessful run for the Alberta United Conservative Party leadership in 2017 and PETER MACKAY’s unsuccessful bid for the federal leadership in 2020. Jodoin also worked on LEONA ALLESLEV ’s leadership campaign earlier this year, before Alleslev dropped out in April and she made the jump to Brown. — Also on Thursday: The National Post’s CHRISTOPHER NARDI reported that members of the Conservative leadership committee responsible for vetting candidates recommended in the spring that Brown’s application not be approved. But the reasons “are unclear and their advice was evidently overruled.” — Meanwhile: Canada’s interim elections commissioner, MARC CHÉNIER, is now reviewing the allegations against Brown. The Liberals also jumped in Thursday to twist the knife. Liberal MP ADAM VAN KOEVERDEN wrote to the interim commissioner, asking for a broader investigation. He suggested the party stood to benefit from any “financial crimes” committed by Brown, either in the form of a “monetary windfall” from Brown’s membership sales and leadership dues, or through labor or services that furthered the Conservatives’ interests but were paid for by a third party. “Given these potential illegal benefits accruing to the Conservative Party, any investigation must not be limited to an individual leadership contestant but must follow the money if there was potential benefit to the party as a whole,” van Koeverden wrote. — In other takes: Here’s the National Post’s CHRIS SELLEY , arguing there’s something to be said for the “downright ancient” idea that a party’s caucus “is best placed to choose its leader,” rather than its members. And MICHAEL TAUBE, a columnist and speechwriter for former prime minister STEPHEN HARPER, has taken aim at retired Conservative senator MARJORY LEBRETON , who recently said she’s worried about the party “fracturing beyond repair” thanks in part to frontrunner PIERRE POILIEVRE’s embrace of the Freedom Convoy. “What rubbish,” Taube says. “Poilievre has been the staunchest defender in this leadership race of modern Conservative values. He supports limited government, greater personal freedom and liberty, reducing high tax rates and giving more power back to the people.” | 
