Councillor Raymond Cho is receiving a boost from a big name in Toronto politics as he seeks a win for the Progressive Conservative Party in an upcoming Scarborough byelection.
Former councillor and mayoral candidate Doug Ford confirmed Saturday that he is co-chairing Cho’s byelection campaign in Scarborough-Rouge River.
“He has a large support base in Scarborough and I think if we get behind him we have an opportunity to blaze a new trail for the PC Party in Scarborough and in Toronto,” Ford told CP24 in a phone interview. “He’ll be a loud voice for the people of Scarborough to make sure there’s fair and equitable transit.”
Ford said that Cho initially encouraged him to run for the seat, vacated by former Liberal MP Bas Balkissoon after he suddenly stepped down in March. However Ford said he is currently focused on helping to take care of his niece and nephew, the children of late former mayor Rob Ford.
“My main focus is to look after Rob’s children and get involved in soccer this summer with them and really focus on the family and I just couldn’t commit the next two years,” said Ford, who has mused before about an entry into provincial politics.
He also said it wouldn’t be fair for him to run in Scarborough and then return to Etobicoke in another two years’ time.
For his part Cho said Ford’s popularity in Scarborough makes him a good ally in the campaign.
“Doug Ford is a good friend of mine,” Cho told CP24 at an event he attended Saturday with PC Leader Patrick Brown and Mayor John Tory. “He’s very popular in that area. And actually I urged Doug Ford to run to fill the vacancy left by Bas Balkissoon.”
The Ward 42 councillor said Ford will manage his campaign along with Cho’s wife.
The byelection date has not yet been set. Cho has said he’ll take a leave of absence from his job on city council once the byelection is called.
Cho has waded into federal politics before as an NDP candidate in 1988 and as an independent in 2004. Neither of those bids was successful.
The PC nomination meeting is set to be held on June 4, while the Liberals are expected to pick their candidate the following day.
