Former MP Celina Caeser-Chavannes is officially running for mayor, Photo: Celina Caesar-Chavannes
TORONTO — Former member of Parliament Celina Caesar-Chavannes is officially running to be Toronto’s next mayor.
Caesar-Chavannes arrived at city hall Tuesday morning to fill out her nomination papers to officially sign up for the mayoral by-election this summer.
She is among a number of high-profile candidates running for the top job. The city opened up nominations on Monday, with councillors Josh Matlow and Brad Bradford signing up, along with former councillor Ana Bailão, Scarborough-Guildwood MPP Mitzie Hunter, and former police chief Mark Saunders, among others.
Caesar-Chavannes says she wanted to seize the moment to run for mayor as it’s a prime time for the city “to heal, grow and build back better.”
Even though Caesar-Chavannes left the political world in 2019, she says she has the knowledge and connections to lead her hometown.
“I can leverage that experience and passion that I’ve had in my past whether it was as a member of parliament or research background, or, you know, being on governance of the University of Toronto, all of those can be leveraged into creating a brighter future for Toronto,” she told Now Toronto.
Caesar-Chavannes was elected as the Liberal MP for Whitby, Ont in 2015. Four years later she
told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that she did not plan on seeking re-election. He allegedly became hostile towards her, and in turn, she ultimately quit the Liberal caucus to sit as an independent member until the end of her term.
Despite the apparent spat between her and Trudeau, Caesar-Chavannes says she will have a solid relationship with all levels of government to get the work done, if she’s elected mayor.
“I think that the priority as mayor is not to befriend everybody, but to ensure that there is someone who is able to advocate for Toronto and its residents and establish working relationships with provincial and federal counterparts on the bureaucratic side, on the political side, and focusing on shared goals between our communities,” she said.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Former MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes considering run for Toronto mayor: Source
Caesar-Chavannes says she still maintains an independent political stance and that voters should think less about a candidate’s political affiliation and more about who can spark change.
“It’s less about the blue and the red and the orange and the green. And it’s more about let’s elect the unusual leader that these unusual, unprecedented times call for that will engage the unusual suspects,” she said.
If Caesar-Chavannes is elected for the top job, she says she’s not going to stray from her roots in research and healthcare. She wants to strengthen mental health support programs and find innovative ways to tackle the city’s housing crisis.
“The gaps are in mental health support and other social program support. So bolstering those social programs that have been keeping the city afloat for a long time, but they are unable to build capacity and capabilities within their own organizations,” she said.
“And then number two, looking at an extremely complicated housing problem and finding innovative ways to do it that may not involve money but it can involve getting rid of some of the red tape, looking at zoning, looking at how we plan and move forward in the city,” she added.
Candidates have until May 12 to submit their nomination to run for mayor. The by-election is set for June 26.
Now Toronto will be interviewing and profiling a number of mayoral candidates in the coming weeks leading up to the by-election on June 26.
