TORONTO: The leader of the main opposition party in Canada’s Ontario province on Thursday stepped down from his post after broadcaster CTV News reported allegations of sexual misconduct that he strongly denied.

By resigning as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, Patrick Brown ended a quest to unseat Ontario’s Liberal Party Premier Kathleen Wynne in a June election he was favoured to win.

His party now faces the uncertainty of how and when to select a new leader to run against Wynne in the election in Canada’s most populous province.

Brown is one of the highest-profile Canadians to see their careers derailed by allegations of sexual misconduct since a widespread #MeToo social movement by victims of sexual harassment and abuse began last year in the United States.

Progressive Conservatives said they planned to name an interim leader on Friday. Brown said he would stay on as an Ontario lawmaker while working to clear his name.

“These allegations are false and have been difficult to hear,” he said in a statement. “However, defeating Kathleen Wynne in 2018 is more important than one individual.”

Reuters was unable to verify the claims against Brown. CTV did not identify the women or show their faces.

The #MeToo movement surfaced in the United States where as allegations of misconduct by prominent US entertainment, politics and media figures, resulting in many firings and forced resignations.

In recent weeks it has gained momentum in Canada, sidelining the careers of a national gymnastics coach and the artistic director of a prominent Toronto theatre company.

The leader of Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservatives, Jamie Baillie, resigned on Wednesday after a party investigation concluded he had breached a policy on workplace harassment.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said he would speak to Liberal cabinet Minister Kent Hehr when asked at a news conference about allegations that Hehr has made inappropriate comments to women about their bodies.

“I am unequivocal in my support for women who step forward with allegations of this nature and that continues,” Trudeau said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Reuters