Former Conservative Member of Parliament and federal cabinet minister Chris Alexander has officially withdrawn from the race to become Toronto’s next mayor, just weeks before voters head to the polls. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Alexander stated that his decision to exit the campaign was not made lightly. He maintained that he still believes the remaining candidates vying for the city’s highest office lack the necessary fiscal responsibility, ambition, and detailed policy plans. In another four years from now, Alexander expressed fear that the city will find itself in the same position or potentially worse off. He emphasized that politics should be centered on implementing practical ideas, an approach he and his team brought to the campaign trail. Recent polling data from Mainstreet Research placed Alexander in a distant third place, capturing only 7.2 percent of support among respondents. Incumbent Olivia Chow led the polls with 38 percent support, while Councillor Brad Bradford followed closely behind with 32 percent. Alexander originally registered to run in the mayoral election on July 29, declaring at the time that the city was slightly adrift and that he wanted to restore Toronto’s sense of direction. Before entering municipal politics, Alexander built a lengthy career in Canada’s foreign service, serving as the first resident Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005. He later transitioned to federal politics, serving as the Member of Parliament for Ajax–Pickering from 2011 to 2015 and holding the position of federal immigration minister in Stephen Harper’s government between 2013 and 2015. During his federal tenure, he drew significant public attention for introducing the barbaric cultural practices bill in 2014, aimed at addressing honour killings, child marriages, and polygamy. Following Alexander’s departure, a crowded field of 52 candidates remains registered in the contest to become Toronto’s next mayor. A complete list of the remaining contenders is publicly available on the official city website.
Source: cbc.ca
