The Scarborough-Rouge River byelection horse race is tightening up, with candidates from all three parties now named.

The Progressive Conservatives acclaimed veteran Toronto Councillor Raymond Cho as their choice candidate at a rally at the Markham Convention Centre on June 5. The Tories say the election of the longtime municipal politician would send a strong statement to the Liberal government, as well as score the PCs a Toronto-area seat, as they currently have none.

This isn't Cho's first election rodeo — he ran for the PCs in 2014, but lost to Liberal Bas Balkissoon, whose abrupt resignation in March triggered the byelection. Cho told QP Briefing he was initially approached by the Liberal party to run under a red banner, but he quickly shot them down. He also joked that his PC candidacy raised some eyebrows two years ago, as it was the party purported to favour rich, white people. Cho, a Korean immigrant, said that wasn't true anymore.

"(In 2014), I was doing so well until the day Tim Hudak says we're going to cut 100,000 jobs. So then I knew I was going to lose," Cho said, adding his application took some persuasion. "I didn’t have a plan to run, but (PC Leader) Patrick Brown really urged me to run."

The final domino to fall into place was a blessing from the 79-year-old councillor's wife — whose convincing was a feat eventually accomplished by Brown, Cho quipped. Brown told the rally on Sunday that the government "takes Scarborough for granted" and that Cho’s popularity, history and “beautiful relationship” with the area makes him the most likely to steal a seat long held by the Liberals.

"I think you send someone like Raymond Cho (to Queen's Park), it sends a message that we're tired of being taken for granted. If the Liberals lose this seat — and we think they can lose this seat that they’ve never lost before — that will send the message to this government," Brown said.

"You elect Liberal MPPs, you're not even noticed — Scarborough is not even noticed by this government on health care — and that subway extension, don’t try to go on it, it's not there."

Unofficial campaign manager Doug Ford introduced Cho on Sunday night, saying, "We're going to stop the waste, and as my late brother Rob said, 'We're going to stop the gravy train' . . . I have a message for the Liberals: Pack your bags, the party's over."

The Progressive Conservatives have acclaimed Raymond Cho as their candidate for the Scarborough-Rouge River byelection.

The Progressive Conservatives have acclaimed Raymond Cho as their candidate for the Scarborough-Rouge River byelection.

Cho took the stage next and rattled off the blue-collar jobs he held prior to becoming a councillor, borrowing a line from Drake and telling the throng of supporters, “Because I started from the bottom, I know what it’s like to be a new Canadian.” He then rattled off a list of so-called Liberal scandals, including gas plant cancellations, Ornge and eHealth, as part of his motivation for a provincial bid.

Cho has represented the area on Toronto council since 1991, and has never lost a municipal contest. And while he isn't obligated to give up his seat on city council just yet, Cho said he likes the idea of his executive assistant, Hratch Aynedjian, as a possible replacement.

Consider it an election hat trick: the seasoned politician has now run for all three levels of government and has at one point belonged to all three of the main parties. He made two unsuccessful federal bids: for the NDP in 1988, and as an "independent Liberal" in 2004, after losing the party nomination. For this byelection, Cho will face off against the NDP's Neethan Shan for the fourth time, and the Liberal's Piragal Thiru, who was nominated on the weekend. Shan and Cho sparred municipally in 2010 and 2014, and provincially in 2014.

As for his opponents, Cho said, "Neethan Shan, he’s a professional runner, he runs every election, so I could stop my comment there, and the people will decide. The Liberal candidate — people, residents, voters — pardon my simple language — they're not stupid . . . and they have watched what's happened at Queen's Park with this current government, so a lot of people are saying it's time for change, and I believe that."

A byelection must be called by September, but a date has yet to be set.

To contact the reporter on this story:
snanji@qpbriefing.com
416-212-5789

PCs say Raymond Cho most likely to turf Liberals in Scarborough-Rouge River byelection

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