Doug Ford, a former Toronto city councillor and brother to the city's late former mayor Rob Ford has jumped into the race to lead the Ontario Progressive Conservatives on Monday as the party grappled with the latest accusations of sexual misconduct to hit its ranks.
He said he was throwing his hat in the ring to save the party from what he called political "elites."
"The elites of this party, the ones who shut out the grassroots, do not want me in this race," Doug Ford said in a news conference at his family's home in west Toronto.
He added, "I'm here to give a voice ... to the hardworking taxpayers of this province, people who have been ignored for far too long.This is truly a critical moment for our party, for our people and for the future of our province."
Caucus members had recommended that interim leader Vic Fedeli carry the party through the upcoming provincial election.
The party found itself having to fill another vacancy Monday after its president Rick Dykstra resigned abruptly amid a report from Maclean's magazine on allegations of sexual assault. The allegations have not been verified by The Canadian Press and Dykstra has not responded to requests for comment.
Dykstra announced his resignation on Twitter Sunday night, hours before Maclean's reported that he was accused of sexually assaulting a young Conservative staffer in 2014, when he was an MP.
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Moving forward and moving on.
— Rick Dykstra (@RickDykstra) January 29, 2018
Rick pic.twitter.com/4djy1TY9Ee