Former federal cabinet minister and diplomat Chris Alexander has officially entered the race to become Toronto’s next mayor, joining a growing field of candidates ahead of the city’s municipal election on October 26.
Alexander registered his campaign on Wednesday, with campaign officials confirming his candidacy after announcing his intention to run the previous evening.
Launching his campaign, Alexander said Toronto has given him countless opportunities but argued that the city has lost momentum. He pledged to strengthen the local economy, improve public transit, expand housing, and invest in infrastructure to help the city regain its position as a leading global city.
“A city with this much talent, strength and potential should not be underperforming,” Alexander said, adding that Toronto can return to a path of growth through strong leadership and collaboration.
Born in Toronto, Alexander served as a Canadian diplomat for 18 years, including postings in Moscow and as Canada’s ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005. He later held a senior leadership role with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
He entered federal politics in 2011 after being elected as the Conservative MP for Ajax–Pickering under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In 2013, he was appointed Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, serving until the Conservatives were defeated in the 2015 federal election.
During his time as immigration minister, Alexander faced criticism over the federal government’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis and for proposing, alongside then-Labour Minister Kellie Leitch, a telephone tip line to report what they described as “barbaric cultural practices.”
After losing his seat in the 2015 election, Alexander sought the leadership of the Conservative Party before later moving into roles as a business executive, strategic adviser, and corporate director. He also spent several years living in Kenya before returning to Toronto in 2022.
Alexander says his campaign is driven by a desire to apply his decades of public service experience to the city where he was born and raised, arguing that Toronto’s future success cannot be taken for granted.
He joins an increasingly competitive mayoral race that already includes incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow, who is seeking re-election, and Councillor Brad Bradford, among more than a dozen registered candidates.
