Monte McNaughton has ended his bid to be the next leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.
The Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP announced Thursday morning that he was dropping out of the race to replace Tim Hudak, and instead is endorsing Patrick Brown.
Brown and Christine Elliot are the only two candidates remaining in the race.
"I am happy to be endorsing Patrick Brown today for leader of our party. Patrick has demonstrated that he has the energy and ability to bring thousands of new members from diverse backgrounds and different points of view into our party, which is exactly what I've been saying we need," says McNaughton in a statement on his website. "As a fellow conservative, he will reform our party. I look forward to working with him to build a larger, stronger, modern party that will give a voice to every member and reflect the real priorities of Ontario families."
McNaughton trailed both Brown and Elliot in membership sales and fundraising efforts. He was also criticized and accused of homophobia after he took aim at the Liberal government's new sex-ed curriculum.
Premier Kathleen Wynne accused McNaughton of making homophobic remarks when he said, “It’s not the premier of Ontario’s job, especially Kathleen Wynne, to tell parents what’s age-appropriate for their children.”
McNaughton denied the allegation, saying his comment was directed at the premier's lack of consultation with parents on the curriculum, not that fact that she is gay.
