Renata Ford, widow of late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, to run for People’s Party of Canada
Posted June 21, 2019 10:47 am.
Last Updated June 21, 2019 10:51 am.
TORONTO (NEWS 1130) – The federal election is a few months away but one candidate is already grabbing some headlines.
Renata Ford, the widow of late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and sister-in-law to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, plans to run for the upstart People’s Party of Canada.
The unexpected candidacy was officially announced on Friday in Toronto when Maxime Bernier, the leader of the new party, unveiled his candidates for the GTA for the upcoming vote.
Renata will be a candidate for them in the riding of Etobicoke North, which was a huge voting base for her late husband.
An interesting choice for Renata. The Fords have a long history with the federal Conservative Party. Both Rob and Doug campaigned with/for former Prime Minister @stephenharper, and Premier @fordnation has been a vocal supporter of current @CPC_HQ Leader @AndrewScheer #cdnpoli
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) June 21, 2019
John Wright, a pollster for Dart Insight believes the People’s Party is an interesting choice for Renata.
“Maxime Bernier right now is polling about 1% of the entire country in terms of support. He’s known for his views on, you know, they’re fairly anti-immigrant, right-wing,” he says.
“She may be popular in certain parts of Etobicoke but frankly there’s a bigger game here, it’s not just local.”
The Ford’s have long been fierce supporters of the federal Conservatives, but Renata is siding with the upstart offshoot that began after Bernier lost the Conservative leadership race to Andrew Scheer.
Renata Ford will be attempting to unseat current Liberal MP @KirstyDuncanMP, who is Minister for Science and Sport #cdnpoli
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) June 21, 2019
Renata was often seen by Rob Ford’s side as he faced many controversies in his time as Toronto’s mayor. Last year she received a driving ban due to an impaired driving conviction, and she has a lawsuit against her brother-in-law Premier Doug Ford over Rob’s estate.
A spokesperson for Premier Ford issued a statement in response to news Renata would be running for the People’s Party of Canada.
“The premier wishes every candidate good luck in the upcoming federal election.”
The current MP for the riding of Etobicoke North is Liberal Kirsty Duncan who’s also Minister of Science and Sport.
