As names continue to roll in for Toronto’s top job, Celina Caesar-Chavannes might be a contender to watch out for. The former Member of Parliament is seriously considering putting her hat into the ring, an anonymous source told Now Toronto.
Caesar-Chavannes is apparently thinking about re-entering Canada’s political realm, but this time as the leader of her hometown.
“While her political background is primarily at the federal level, her experiences as a member of Parliament have given her valuable insights into the complexities of governance and the importance, more importantly, of collaboration,” the source, who is close to Caesar-Chavannes, said.
Caesar-Chavannes, 48, grew up in Rexdale and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and Executive MBA from the University of Toronto. She also obtained an MBA in Healthcare Management from the University of Phoenix before launching a research management consulting firm, with a focus on neurological conditions.
After living in the Greater Toronto Area for some time, she recently moved back to the city’s Regent Park neighbourhood, and the source says she’s seriously considering running to be the city’s next mayor.
“The experiences and understanding of the city’s needs will effectively enable Celina to represent and serve its residents,” they said.
Last week, Caesar-Chavannes spoke at the DemocracyXChange Summit in Toronto where she commented on the mayoral race and said the city needs an “unusual” leader to address key issues.
“Let’s elect the unusual leader that these unusual, unprecedented times call for that will engage the unusual suspects,” she said.
Caesar-Chavannes entered Canadian politics in 2015 when she was elected as the Liberal MP for Whitby, Ont. She then went on to serve as Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from Dec. 2015 to Jan. 2017 and Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of International Development et la Francophonie from Jan. 2017 to Aug 2018.
As an MP, Caesar-Chavannes advocated for people suffering with mental illness and was awarded the Champion of Mental Health Parliamentarian in May 2017 by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health.
Caesar-Chavannes made headlines in Mar. 2019 when she quit the Liberal caucus to sit as an independent member until the end of her term. Prior to that, she had announced she would not be running in the Oct. 2019 election.
She previously told the Globe and Mail that Trudeau became hostile towards her after telling him she was not planning to seek re-election.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Trudeau displayed no hostility in the exchange.
Caesar-Chavannes’ decision to sit as an independent came shortly after MPs Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott left their Cabinet positions but remained in the Liberal caucus amid the SNC-Lavalin affair.
Despite Caesar-Chavannes’ scuffle with the prime minister, the anonymous source said she has the ability to work with all levels of government if she were to be elected.
“So while it’s true that the relationship with the Prime Minister has had its challenges, there is an openness of conversation, there is a mutual respect and finding common ground when working with all levels of government that she is able to navigate,” they said.
The source added that Caesar-Chavannes’s political ideology continues to be a “very much independence stance.”
Since leaving federal politics, Caesar-Chavannes published her first book “Can You Hear Me Now?” in 2021, which discusses her childhood, and life as a young Black woman entrepreneur and politician.
She also currently serves as the Sr. Advisor of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Initiatives and Adjunct Lecturer at Queen’s University, and is enrolled in a PhD program with their Department of Neurosciences exploring the intersection of equity and empathy.
Candidates running for mayor can officially file their nomination as of Monday until May 12. The Toronto by-election is scheduled for June. 26
