Former Harper cabinet minister Chris Alexander to run for mayor of Toronto

TORONTO — Chris Alexander, a former Conservative cabinet minister and ambassador who once made headlines for Ottawa’s handling of the Syrian refugee crisis, is entering the race to become Toronto’s next mayor.

Alexander officially registered his campaign at Toronto City Hall on Wednesday morning.

In a news release announcing his candidacy, Alexander said Toronto has given him everything. But he added the city has been “standing still.”

Vowing to better Toronto’s economy, transit system, housing and infrastructure, the former member of Parliament for the Toronto-area riding previously known as Ajax-Pickering said the city under his leadership would get back on track.

“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.”

A win in the Toronto election, set for Oct. 26, would be a return to the public eye for Alexander after nearly 10 years.

Alexander, who was born in Toronto to a high school gym teacher and a lawyer, spent 18 years as a Canadian diplomat. He worked at the Canadian Embassy in Moscow, and from 2003 to 2005 was Canada’s ambassador to Afghanistan.

He 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 part of Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. In 2013, he was tapped to be Harper’s immigration minister, a role he served in until 2015.

Leading up to the 2015 federal election — which ended in Justin Trudeau’s Liberals clinching a majority — Alexander became embroiled in controversy amid questions about the government’s handling of the Syrian refugee crisis.

He was also criticized for promising, along with 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 ended up losing his seat in the newly created riding of Ajax to Mark Holland, who held the riding for the Liberals until he announced in 2024 he would not seek re-election. He was succeeded last year by Jennifer McKelvie of Mark Carney’s Liberals.

Despite his election loss, Alexander did not immediately leave the political realm. He was an early contender in the race for leader of the federal Conservatives, of which Andrew Scheer was declared the winner.

Alexander’s campaign website says since 2015, he has been an executive, strategic adviser and corporate director. He also spent time living in Kenya and moved back to Toronto in 2022.

His wife is Hedvig Christine Alexander, a former officer in the Danish Army Reserve, and they have three children.

Alexander said on his website that in a world of uncertainty, municipal institutions and services need to be at their best and added, “Toronto’s success is not assured.”

“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 said.

Alexander is among more than a dozen candidates who will have registered for Toronto’s 2026 mayoral race. The deadline to join the race is Aug. 21.

Incumbent mayor Olivia Chow announced earlier this year she would seek a second term. Coun. Brad Bradford, who lost to Chow in Toronto’s 2023 mayoral byelection, has also thrown his hat in the ring.

Transportation, housing and crime have already emerged as likely campaign issues. The Ontario government’s plan to expand Billy Bishop airport appeared poised to become a key election issue until it was quashed by the federal government last week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2026.

— By Aaron Sousa in Edmonton

The Canadian Press