Former MP Chris Alexander drops out of Toronto's mayoral race

Former Conservative Member of Parliament Chris Alexander has dropped out of the race to become Toronto's next mayor.

Alexander served as federal immigration minister under Stephen Harper’s government

Arrthy Thayaparan · CBC News

· Posted: Oct 06, 2026 9:32 AM EDT | Last Updated: 26 minutes ago

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Former Conservative Member of Parliament Chris Alexander has dropped out of the race to become Toronto's next mayor.

Alexander told reporters Tuesday that 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.

"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.

"Politics in my view should be about getting ideas implemented, and we approached this campaign with that spirit."

Recent polling 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.

He registered to run in the election on July 29, telling reporters at the time that the city was "slightly adrift" and that he was looking to give Toronto it's "sense of direction back."

WATCH | Alexander signed up for Toronto's mayoral race in July:

Former MP Chris Alexander enters Toronto's mayoral race

July 29|

Duration

2:40

The former Conservative MP and federal cabinet minister is now vying to be Toronto's next mayor with a campaign that seems poised to shake up the contest and its already crowded field. CBC’s Shawn Jeffords has the story.

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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.

With files from John Rieti, Gabriela Silva Ponte and Adam Carter