Who says Ontario provincial politics is boring?

Members of Ontario's Progressive Conservative Party are casting their ballots to choose a new leader this week — a new new leader, that is.

Explosive, sexual misconduct allegations against the previous new leader, Patrick Brown, surfaced in late January.

Within hours, the daggers were drawn, and Brown was out. Days later, four new candidates stepped in.  

Then Brown was back — and then out again.

The interim leader blamed Brown for what he called "rot" in the party. An ethics complaint was filed.

Brown, however, is still vowing to clear his name. 

He maintains that he's the victim of slander by the media, and cites vicious attacks on friends and family from treacherous adversaries within his own party.

The remaining candidates to lead the Ontario PC party are Rob Ford's brother Doug, Brian Mulroney's daughter Caroline, and Jim Flaherty's widow, Christine Elliot — plus Tanya Granic Allen, whose platform consists mostly of preventing students from learning about sex at school.

Heading into a June election with the potential for a slam-dunk victory over a Liberal premier with record-low approval ratings, the once-mighty Ontario PCs look shambolic.

It used to be the party of big ideas. Now, there is bickering, backbiting, and the kind of bungling that could cost them their first chance to govern in almost 15 years.

How did it come to this?

To discuss, we've reconvened our esteemed political panel this week:

• Hélène Buzzetti, Parliamentary Correspondent for Le Devoir
• John Ibbitson, political writer and columnist for The Globe and Mail
• Tonda MacCharles, political reporter in the Toronto Star's Ottawa bureau

Click 'listen' above to hear the panel.