Staff

MPP rains on own parade, losing crime job over remarks

Mr. Brown, who represents the Toronto-area riding of Scarborough West, resigned from his post as crime commissioner and his job as parliamentary assistant to the Solicitor-General after Premier Mike Harris, senior police officers, and thousands of fans of Toronto's annual Santa Claus Parade were infuriated by his suggestion that the parade was a boon to prostitution.

In a radio interview last Friday, Mr. Brown said he was "sickened" by the fact that husbands and fathers often left their wives and children to view the parade while they visited prostitutes, making it one of the busiest days of the year for the city's hookers.

Police were quick to ridicule the idea, pointing out that Sunday afternoons usually slow for the city's sex trade.

To replace Mr. Brown as crime commissioner, Mr. Harris appointed Wentworth North MPP Toni Skarica. The crime commission was set up to try to emphasize the Conservative Party's emphasis on fighting crime.