Chris Alexander, a former Conservative cabinet minister and Canadian diplomat, is joining the race to become Toronto's next mayor. According to Global News, campaign spokesman Wilf Dinnick said in an email late Tuesday that Alexander would officially register his campaign Wednesday morning.
The announcement makes Alexander one of more than a dozen candidates who will have registered for Toronto's 2026 mayoral election, set for Oct. 26. Incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow is seeking a second term, and Coun. Brad Bradford, who lost to Chow in the 2023 byelection, is also in the running.
In a news release announcing his candidacy, Alexander said Toronto has given him everything, but added the city has been "standing still." He vowed to improve Toronto's economy, transit system, housing and infrastructure.
A long road back to public life
A win would mark a return to the public eye for Alexander after nearly a decade away from elected office. Born in Toronto to a high school gym teacher and a lawyer, he spent 18 years as a Canadian diplomat, including a posting at the embassy in Moscow. He served as Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, and later became one of two deputy special representatives of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
Alexander was elected to the House of Commons in 2011 as the MP for the former Toronto-area riding of Ajax-Pickering under Stephen Harper's Conservative government. In 2013, he was named immigration minister, a post he held until 2015.
His time in cabinet ended in controversy. Ahead of the 2015 federal election, Alexander faced questions over the government's handling of the Syrian refugee crisis. He was also criticized for promising, alongside then-labour minister Kellie Leitch, to create a telephone tip line for "barbaric cultural practices." At the time, Alexander said the legislation would help protect women and girls from forced marriages and "stand up for our values."
Alexander lost his seat in the newly created riding of Ajax to Liberal Mark Holland, who held it until stepping aside ahead of the 2024 election. Jennifer McKelvie, of Mark Carney's Liberals, now represents the riding.
Alexander did not leave politics entirely after his defeat. He was an early contender in the federal Conservative leadership race eventually won by Andrew Scheer.
"Toronto's success is not assured"
His campaign website says that since 2015 he has worked as an executive, strategic adviser and corporate director, with time spent living in Kenya before returning to Toronto in 2022. He and his wife, Hedvig Christine Alexander, a former officer in the Danish Army Reserve, have three children.
On his website, Alexander said that in a world of uncertainty, municipal institutions and services need to be at their best, adding that "Toronto's success is not assured."
"A city with this much talent, strength and potential should not be underperforming, and it doesn't have to be," Alexander said in the news release. "At our best, we are a city of great achievements. With vision and teamwork, we can get back on that track, and I believe we will."
"In the next phase of my public service, I want to put everything I've learned to work for the city that gave me and my family so much — and that I'm proud to call home today," he wrote.
