Chris Alexander Launches Campaign for Mayor of Toronto
Former ambassador and federal cabinet minister pledges serious leadership and clear plans to get Canada’s largest city moving again.
TORONTO, July 28, 2026 — Chris Alexander, a Toronto-born diplomat, former ambassador and former federal cabinet minister, today launched his campaign for Mayor of Toronto.
“I’m running because Toronto has been standing still for three years,” said Alexander. “A city with this much talent, strength and potential should not be under-performing, and it doesn’t have to be.”
Alexander’s campaign is built on a simple promise, a return to the city that works, backed by five priorities:
Re-start Toronto’s economic engine. Incentivise new investment, help companies grow here and make Toronto the anchor partner for provincial and federal economic strategies.
Get Torontonians moving faster. Transit that runs faster, on time and safely; an end to chronic project delays; bolder action on gridlock; and a well-designed network of protected, curb-separated bike lanes.
Put housing in reach. Support for young Torontonians and new Canadians to become owners, more accessible rental housing and faster progress in reducing homelessness.
Strengthen neighbourhoods. Easier access to services, connected parks and waterfront, infrastructure fixed rather than ignored, and development that follows neighbourhood priorities.
Be ambitious for Toronto. Aim to be the most liveable, best-governed, most consistently prosperous city in the world.
“Toronto gave me everything,” said Alexander. “This is where I grew up, where my parents have always lived, and where Hedvig and I are raising our three wonderful children. Everything I’ve learned, I want to put at the service of my city.”
Detailed, costed proposals on each of the campaign’s five priorities will be released in the coming weeks. Torontonians can learn more and join the campaign at chrisalexander.ca.
“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,” said Alexander. “This campaign belongs to everyone who wants Toronto working again.”
About Chris Alexander
Chris Alexander was born in Toronto in 1968 and educated at Toronto public schools, McGill University and Oxford University. A foreign service officer for eighteen years, he served six years at Canada’s Embassy in Moscow and six years in Afghanistan, including as Canada’s first resident Ambassador to Afghanistan and as the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative there. He was Member of Parliament for Ajax-Pickering from 2011 to 2015 and Minister of Citizenship and Immigration from 2013 to 2015. He is the author of The Long Way Back: Afghanistan’s Quest for Peace. He and his wife Hedvig live in Toronto with their three children.
Media contact: (437) 907-1376 | press@chrisalexander.ca | chrisalexander.ca