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MP Olivia Chow for Toronto mayor? ‘I’m considering it,’ she says

Trinity-Spadina MP could challenge Rob Ford

NDP MP Olivia Chow at a news conference in Ottawa on Oct.1, 2012. (Adrian Wyld/CP)

Toronto MP Olivia Chow has, once again, opened the door to the possibility of challenging Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in the city’s next civic election.

The MP, who represents the downtown riding of Trinity-Spadina, made the comments on CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight during an appearance Wednesday with actor Sook-Yin Lee to promote the CBC film Jack, about Chow’s late husband Jack Layton.

The exchange went like this:

Stroumboulopoulos: “Do you foresee a time when you’ll be doing the sequel? And it’s called ‘Olivia: Mayor of Toronto.’ Could you ever see that?”

Chow: “I love this city. I love to come home to Toronto, but what I’m going to be doing, I don’t know yet. I’m listening to people’s advice. Maybe I’ll ask for your advice. There are a lot of issues we need to tackle, and I’ll listen very carefully. So, Jack wanted to be mayor, maybe I want to be a mayor, too, but maybe not.”

Stroumboulopoulos: “But, you’re open to it?”

Chow: “I am considering it.”

The next Toronto election is scheduled for 2014 and it will come after a turbulent term for Ford, who has faced two court battles, a divided council and questions over spending during his previous campaign. Ford has already said he will run again.

In November 2012, Chow told reporters at at a press conference that she was “listening” to citizens who were urging her to consider a mayoral run. A poll conducted after those comments suggested that Chow would win in a three-way race between herself, Ford and Adam Vaughan, a left-leaning councillor who is also seen as a potential mayoral candidate.

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