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Behold: A video of Patrick Brown, new PC leader, titled “Why do I run?” Footage of someone running through the snow. And through mud. And on a field. A tiny disclaimer reveals that it’s not actually Brown, but an actor. When Kathleen Wynne made her running video, on rural Ontario roads, she actually ran. But in Brown’s video, “Why do I run?” he doesn’t run.

Wait — he does run, a bit. There’s a brief clip of him running! Now, here’s a stopwatch, a lake, Niagara Falls, planes, bagpipes and a family on the beach. Patrick Brown is running for you. And the race has only just begun.

This is Brown’s first introduction to Ontarians after becoming the new leader of the PCs. This is the party that has lost four consecutive elections, at least two of which were theirs to win, allowing a scandal-plagued Liberal government to retain its grip on the legislature at Queen’s Park. The party that all leadership candidates agreed was desperately in need of an overhaul, top to bottom, and a dynamic, down-to earth voice leading its ranks.

Ask a random sample of Ontarians what they remember about former Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak. I’d wager most won’t get beyond recalling that he planned to cut 100,000 public sector jobs — a pledge made about a month before the election, arguably to the PCs eventual demise. They might also recall comparisons to former Premier Mike Harris, and how teachers’ unions went bananas about the prospect of Premier Tim Hudak.

The PCs need to start telling us who Brown really is — the real guy, not the cliché-happy sunset-lover

Now, the PCs have an opportunity to re-write the record, to offer a fresh face to lead a Tory revival in Ontario. And what do they do? Slap together some stock footage, empty clichés and a Wayne Gretzky quote. Who is Patrick Brown? Who knows?