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Michael Ford (politician)

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Michael Ford
Ford in 2024
Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
Assumed office
June 24, 2022
Preceded byParm Gill
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for York South—Weston
Assumed office
June 2, 2022
Preceded byFaisal Hassan
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 1 Etobicoke North
In office
December 1, 2018 – June 15, 2022
Preceded byWard created
Succeeded byRose Milczyn
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 2 Etobicoke North
In office
July 25, 2016 – December 1, 2018
Preceded byRob Ford
Succeeded byWard dissolved
Toronto District School Board Trustee
for Ward 1 Etobicoke North
In office
December 1, 2014 – May 6, 2016
Preceded byJohn Hastings
Succeeded byAvtar Minhas
Personal details
Born
Michael Douglas Aldo Ford Stirpe

(1994-03-25) March 25, 1994 (age 30)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative (provincial)
Other political
affiliations
Independent (municipal)
RelativesRob Ford (uncle)
Doug Ford (uncle)
Doug Ford Sr. (grandfather)
Krista Haynes (cousin)
ResidenceToronto
Websitehttps://michaelfordmpp.ca/

Michael Douglas Ford MPP (born Michael Douglas Aldo Ford Stirpe on March 25, 1994) is a Canadian politician who has been the Ontario minister of citizenship and multiculturalism since June 24, 2022. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, he has represented York South—Weston in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2022. Ford previously served on Toronto City Council from 2016 to 2022. First elected as a school trustee in 2014, he later won a 2016 by-election for the council seat which was vacated upon the death of Councillor Rob Ford, before he was elected as a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in 2022. He is the nephew of Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario and Rob Ford, the former mayor of Toronto. In mid-September 2024, he took an indefinite leave of absence from the Legislature.

Early and personal life

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Ford was born on March 25, 1994[1] to Ennio Stirpe and Kathy Ford in Toronto, Ontario. He attended Richview Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke, graduating in 2012.[2] He is the nephew of Doug Ford, the 26th premier of Ontario, and Rob Ford, the 64th mayor of Toronto. He is the grandson of Doug Ford Sr., who was an MPP.

In 2014, Ford changed his surname from Stirpe to Ford, and removed Aldo from his given name.[3] His father was convicted of manslaughter in 2009 and convicted of attempted murder in 2012. He is currently incarcerated and serving an 18-year prison term for attempted murder.[4]

In June 2020, Ford tested positive for COVID-19.[5]

Political career

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2014 municipal election

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In the 2014 municipal election, Ford was initially a candidate for Toronto City Council in Ward 2 Etobicoke North, but dropped out when his uncle, Rob Ford, withdrew from the mayoral race after being diagnosed with an abdominal tumour.[6] Rob Ford then registered to run for the council seat, while Michael transferred his candidacy to the school board race.

During an interview with The Globe and Mail, Michael Ford acknowledged that his last name helped him get elected, but stated that he is his own man, and unlike his uncles. His colleagues on the school board were very concerned when Ford was elected due to his uncles' public lives in politics, but one of his colleagues, Marit Stiles, told the Globe that Ford was a hard worker, eager to learn, and wasn't afraid to ask questions.[3] He also quickly earned a reputation for being more politically moderate and conciliatory than his uncles — including expressing admiration of Justin Trudeau, whom both of his uncles were known for criticizing, and attending Toronto's Pride Week parade.[7]

Toronto City Council

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Councillor Rob Ford died on March 22, 2016, at which time the council seat in Ward 2 was declared vacant.[8] After city council declared on May 6 that a by-election would be held to fill the seat, Michael Ford announced he would resign his trustee position to run for council.[9]

He won the by-election, winning 69.53 per cent of the vote over 11 other challengers.[10][11] At 22, he is the youngest person in recent history to be elected to council.[11]

Ford ran for re-election in the 2018 municipal election in the newly expanded Ward 1 Etobicoke North. He defeated fellow incumbent councillor Vincent Crisanti.

Provincial politics

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In April 2022, Ford announced that he would run in the June provincial election in York South—Weston, for the Progressive Conservative Party.[12] He was appointed Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism in the Ford Ministry.[13] On September 20, 2024, Ford took a leave of absence to prioritize his, "health and well-being over the next couple of months."[14]

Election results

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2022 Ontario general election: York South—Weston
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Progressive Conservative Michael Ford 11,138 36.60 +3.65 $69,685
New Democratic Faisal Hassan 10,342 33.98 −2.09 $97,063
Liberal Nadia Guerrera 7,377 24.24 −3.59 $82,208
Green Ignacio Mongrell Gonzalez 770 2.53 −0.01 $0
New Blue Tom Hipsz 345 1.13   $0
Ontario Party Ana Gabriela Ortiz 251 0.82   $217
Independent James Michael Fields 209 0.69   $632
Total valid votes/Expense limit 30,432 99.12 +0.31 $112,794
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 271 0.88 −0.31
Turnout 30,703 38.11 −11.06
Eligible voters 80,336
Progressive Conservative gain from New Democratic Swing +2.87
Source(s)
  • "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023.
  • "Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023.
2018 Toronto municipal election, Ward 1 Etobicoke North
Candidate Votes Vote share
Michael Ford 10,648 42.26%
Vincent Crisanti 8,654 34.34%
Naiima Farah 2,262 8.98%
Shirish Patel 1,945 7.72%
Carol Royer 642 2.55%
Michelle Garcia 439 1.74%
Peter D'Gama 253 1.00%
Christopher Noor 214 0.85%
Gurinder Patri 142 0.56%
Total 25,199 100%
Source: City of Toronto[15]
2016 Toronto municipal by-election, Ward 2 Etobicoke North
Candidate Votes Vote share
Michael Ford 6,534 69.53%
Jeff Canning 1,918 20.41%
Christopher Strain 354 3.77%
Chloe-Marie Brown 152 1.62%
Christopher Noor 134 1.43%
Kevin Clarke 84 0.89%
Other candidates 221 2.35%
Total 9,397 100%
Source: City of Toronto[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Michael Ford". Twitter.com. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Brown, Louise (October 30, 2014). "Etobicoke's newest Ford politician his own man - at 20". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Gee, Eric Andrew (May 5, 2016). "Michael Ford is everything his uncles Rob and Doug are not". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  4. ^ Edwards, Peter (December 27, 2012). "Mayor Rob Ford's former brother-in-law gets 18 years for brutal knife attack that blinded woman". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  5. ^ DeClerq, Katherine (June 9, 2020). "Toronto Coun. Michael Ford, Ontario premier's nephew, tests positive for COVID-19". Ctvnews.ca.
  6. ^ "Rob Ford pulls out of mayoral race, Doug Ford steps in". CBC News. September 12, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  7. ^ "Ward 2 candidates hoping byelection not just a Michael Ford cakewalk". Metro, July 24, 2016.
  8. ^ White, Patrick; Gray, Jeff (March 22, 2016). "Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford dies at 46". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  9. ^ Fox, Chris (May 4, 2016). "Michael Ford announces intention to seek election in Ward 2". CP24. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  10. ^ "'Ford nation lives': Michael Ford will carry family's political brand in Ward 2". CBC News, July 26, 2016.
  11. ^ a b Rider, David (July 25, 2016). "Michael Ford wins Ward 2 Etobicoke North byelection". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  12. ^ DeClerq, Katherine (April 3, 2022). "Toronto councillor Michael Ford running as candidate in Ontario PC party". CP24. Toronto: Bell Media. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Benzie, Robert; Ferguson, Rob; Rushowy, Kristin (June 25, 2022). "Ford's nephew gets cabinet post". Toronto Star. p. A16. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ CBC Staff (September 20, 2024). "MPP Michael Ford taking leave of absence". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  15. ^ "Declaration of Results" (PDF). Toronto City Clerk's Office. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  16. ^ "Clerk's Official Declaration of By-election Results" (PDF). Toronto City Council. June 26, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2021.