Patrick Brown Leadership Campaign welcomes support from Paul Godfrey and Derek Burney

Godfrey and Burney recognize the need for change within the PC Party of Ontario

TORONTO, April 2, 2015 /CNW/ - Today, the Patrick Brown Leadership Campaign is pleased to welcome support from Paul Godfrey, President and C.E.O., Postmedia Network, and Derek H. Burney, Senior Strategic Advisor, Norton Rose Fulbright and former Canadian Ambassador to the United States (1989–1993).

Mr. Godfrey and Mr. Burney, both respected members of the greater conservative family, represent a time when being a conservative meant being members of a Party that resonated with the vast majority of the population.

"For too long, the PC Party of Ontario has been trying to go back to its old winning formula. Well, the winning formula has changed. The province has changed and our Party must change with it," said Godfrey. "The smart business leader finds out what the customers want, and then builds a product that meets their needs. That's what our Party needs to do – that's what Patrick Brown is doing now. It won't be easy though, it takes the kind of energy and action that I have only seen in Patrick Brown."

The PC Party of Ontario lost the last four elections because it was becoming increasingly irrelevant. The Party wins elections when it its priorities and membership are reflective of Ontarians and when it speaks to the issues of importance to the people of Ontario.

"I've been around the PC Party of Ontario when it formed government and opposition. I've seen what it takes to win and know that we need a leader who can win," said Burney. "Our Party can't rest on its laurels. Our province has changed dramatically since 2003 – and even more so since 1981. Our Party must reflect this change and stop clinging to the "good old days". We can't move backward, we can't stand still – we must move forward to the Patrick Brown days of tomorrow."

"I am humbled and honoured today to have support from Mr. Godfrey and Mr. Burney," said Patrick Brown, MP and PC Party of Ontario Leadership candidate. "They bring a depth of political insight. They know what it takes to win, to govern, and why parties lose. Our PC Party of Ontario couldn't win the last election, or the one before that, or the two before that. We cannot go back to 2003 but we can go forward to 2018. To win, we must renew our Party so that it reflects the modern face and priorities of our province."

Brown has been travelling across the province, reaching out to communities and inviting people from every walk of life to join him.

"If you have a passion for this province, if you have a vision for our future, if you are concerned about your children's children, if you see a way to make life better for people in Ontario – I want you in Our Party. You are a Progressive Conservative," added Brown.

15 years, nine months and 30 days

It has been 15 years, nine months and 30 days, or 5,783 days, since the last PC Party of Ontario general election win.*

The same old, same old does not work. It didn't then and it won't in 2018.

Before the PC Party of Ontario can win again, the Party itself must be renewed. It must grow to 100,000 members so that there are members in every community across the province and from every walk of life. When Patrick Brown set the goal of 100,000 members within four years in November 2014, many of his opponents scoffed. Today, there are more than 75,000 Party members – more than three-quarters of the way to his goal.

Growing the Party is just the first step. We must ensure that the Party Leadership is, and remains, connected to its members. Brown has promised to introduce an innovative new way of ensuring there is a continuous dialogue between members and the Party leader and will do in the coming days.

*Things you may have done in 1999 that you probably haven't done in a while, because times have changed:

• Played the snake game on the green screen of your cell phone; and
• Manually searched through a phone book to find a local business.

About Patrick Brown

Patrick Brown has been elected three times as Conservative Member of Parliament for Barrie.  Patrick's work with new Canadian communities in the GTA and 20-years' experience in the Conservative movement make him uniquely able to build the broad, winning coalition the PC Party of Ontario needs to win. For more information, please visit: www.VotePatrickBrown.ca   

SOURCE Patrick Brown for the Win

Tamara Macgregor, Director of Communications, Tel: [phone], [email protected]