Former MP Chris Alexander drops out of Toronto's mayoral race
Former Conservative MP Chris Alexander has dropped out of contention as mayor of Toronto, just weeks ahead of the election. (Isaac Callan/CBC)Social SharingFormer Conservative Member of Parliament Chris Alexander has dropped out of the race to become Toronto's next mayor.
At a news conference Tuesday morning, Alexander said he realized his path to success "was not obvious and perhaps not there at all."
His team wanted to announce the decision ahead of advance polls opening, he said, "so that all Torontonians have the chance to vote for someone who is going to see their campaign through to the end."
Alexander said his decision to run wasn't made "lightly," and that he still feels the other candidates vying for the city's top job aren't fiscally responsible, ambitious or detailed enough.
He also said he was not endorsing another candidate.
"In another four years from now, I fear we'll be back here again and I'm worried we may be worse off in the city," he said.
Alexander urged voters and his supporters to inform themselves about the other campaigns, and to challenge candidates on the issues they care about most.
"Toronto is an amazing city with a great future ahead, we all have to engage to unlock that potential," he said, while also thanking his team and supporters for all their work over the last few months.
A lack of support in the latest polls was a deciding factor in his decision to drop out, Alexander said.
A recent poll from Mainstreet Research put Alexander at a distant third place in the race, with only 7.2 per cent support from respondents. Meanwhile, incumbent Olivia Chow came out on top with 38 per cent support and Coun. Brad Bradford followed up with 32 per cent.
Early voting starts across Toronto today. Here's what you need to know
Before politics, Alexander worked in Canada’s foreign service and served as the first resident Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan between 2003 and 2005.
From 2011 to 2015, he served as MP for Ajax–Pickering and was also the federal immigration minister in Stephen Harper's government from 2013 to 2015. He drew headlines for his barbaric cultural practices bill in 2014, which sought to address so-called honour killings, child marriages and polygamy.
With Alexander's withdrawal, there are 52 people are running to be the mayor of Toronto. You can find the full list on the city’s website.
Arrthy Thayaparan is a writer at CBC Toronto with interests in health, climate, education and community stories. You can contact her at arrthy.thayaparan@cbc.ca.
