The head of a group opposed to Ontario's sex education curriculum says she had discussions with Patrick Brown's office during a recent byelection about what commitments the Progressive Conservative leader could make to garner their support.

The president of Parents as First Educators writes in a letter to supporters today that Brown's chief of staff, Nicolas Pappalardo, asked her to send him suggestions for how the PC leader could satisfy her supporters.

Tanya Granic Allen says she and Pappalardo went back and forth during the Scarborough-Rouge River byelection with what she believes was "direct input from Patrick Brown on language."

After the wording of a controversial letter promising to "scrap" the Liberals' sex-ed curriculum was settled on, Allen says Pappalardo told her "scrap" was Brown's "personal preference" instead of using the word "repeal."

Pappalardo did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Brown.

Earlier in the day, Brown defended privately promising to social conservatives last year that he would repeal the curriculum, saying it was a topic in the leadership race at the time and that fears about the curriculum were "exaggerated."

