Fresh off the job as Toronto's police chief, Bill Blair has confirmed that he hopes to be a candidate for the federal Liberals in the fall election.
Blair told CTV News that he discussed his future with Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and will seek the Liberal nomination in the riding of Scarborough Southwest, where he grew up and raised his family.
“I had conversations with many people, but it was really the values that Justin represented that made me want to be part of his team,” said Blair.
The riding is currently held by NDP MP Dan Harris.
After dedicating the past decade to his role as Toronto's chief of police, the 61-year-old says he wants to remain in public service.
“What draws me (to politics) … is the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Toronto. I’ve spent my whole life in the public service,” Blair said. “I’m just looking for another opportunity to continue to contribute and continue to serve.”
As Blair transitions from Toronto’s top cop to political candidate, he says he wants to focus on serving Canadians, instead of the “viscous, disrespectful partisanship” that some parliamentarians have adopted.
“That deeply rooted partisanship sometimes stops intelligent conversations and important conversations. I think sometimes people feel that they need to be aggressive and sometimes disrespectful in those things, and important information gets lost,” said Blair.
Toronto's incoming police chief, Mark Saunders, will move into his new office later today.
With files from The Canadian Press
