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TORONTO — The Ontario Liberals are dismissing former Tory leader Patrick Brown’s suggestion that his political adversaries may have been behind the sexual misconduct allegations that forced his resignation and threw his party into turmoil.

In an interview with Global News, Brown says he and his team had been worried about rival parties circulating rumours about him for some time, but they assumed no media outlets would take such stories seriously.

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He says that changed when CTV News ran a story citing two unnamed women alleging sexual misconduct dating back to Brown’s time as a federal MP.

Brown has vehemently denied the allegations, which have not been independently verified by the Canadian Press, saying there are discrepancies in the women’s stories and has accused CTV of dishonest reporting. CTV has said it stands by its stories.

Brown says he believes his political rivals are to blame, a claim the governing Liberals called “ridiculous” and not worthy of a comment.

The NDP and the Progressive Conservatives declined to comment on Brown’s statement.

Brown’s resignation forced the party to hastily organize a leadership contest that will appoint someone to steer the provincial Tories through an upcoming June election.