Michael Taube: Why Is It So Difficult for a Conservative to Be Elected Mayor in Canada?

Newly elected Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow speaks to media outside city hall in Toronto on June 27, 2023. The Canadian Press/Arlyn McAdorey

Commentary

Olivia Chow was elected Mayor of Toronto in the June 26 by election. The former NDP MP/city councillor earned 269,372 votes (37.16 percent), edging out former city councillor Ana Bailão (235,175 votes, 32.46 percent). The two conservative candidates, former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders (62,167 votes, 8.59 percent) and former Toronto Sun columnist Anthony Furey (35,899 votes, 4.96 percent), finished third and fourth respectively.