Former federal Conservative minister Chris Alexander says he is quitting the race to become the next mayor of Toronto as advance voting begins in the city’s municipal election.
Alexander says he decided to drop out after a recent poll showed he doesn’t have a clear path to victory.
The veteran politician and diplomat says he is not endorsing any other mayoral candidate.
Recent polls have placed Alexander as a distant third in the race, behind current council member Brad Bradford and current mayor Olivia Chow, who has been the front-runner since the start of the campaign.
Alexander was elected as MP for Ajax–Pickering in 2011 and was the federal immigration minister from 2013 to 2015.
He previously worked as a diplomat and served in the Canadian Embassy in Moscow before he was selected to be the first resident Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan in 2003.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.