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Michael Ford (politician)

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The Honourable
Michael Ford
ECO
Ford in 2024
Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
In office
June 24, 2022 – March 19, 2025
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byParm Gill
Succeeded byGraham McGregor
Member of Provincial Parliament
In office
June 2, 2022 – March 19, 2025
Preceded byFaisal Hassan
Succeeded byMohamed Firin
ConstituencyYork South—Weston
Toronto City Councillor
In office
December 1, 2018 – June 15, 2022
Preceded byWard established
Succeeded byRose Milczyn
ConstituencyWard 1 Etobicoke North
Toronto City Councillor
In office
July 25, 2016 – December 1, 2018
Preceded byRob Ford
Succeeded byWard dissolved
ConstituencyWard 2 Etobicoke North
Toronto District School Board Trustee
In office
December 1, 2014 – May 6, 2016
Preceded byJohn Hastings
Succeeded byAvtar Minhas
ConstituencyWard 1 Etobicoke North
Personal details
Born
Michael Douglas Aldo Ford Stirpe

1994 (age 30–31)
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
WebsiteMichael Ford MPP

Michael Douglas Ford (born Michael Douglas Aldo Ford Stirpe; 1994) is a Canadian lobbyist and former politician who served as the Ontario minister of citizenship and multiculturalism from 2022 to 2025. He was the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for York South—Weston from 2022 to 2025, representing the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party. Ford was a member of Toronto City Council from 2016 to 2022, representing Etobicoke North. He is the nephew of Doug Ford, the 26th premier of Ontario, and Rob Ford, the 64th mayor of Toronto. In 2025, Ford registered as a lobbyist.

Early and personal life

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Ford was born in 1994, to Ennio Stirpe and Kathy Ford in Toronto, Ontario.[1] He attended Richview Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke, graduating in 2012.[1] 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.[2]

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

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.[5] However, he 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.[2]

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] 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.[12] He defeated fellow incumbent councillor Vincent Crisanti.[13] In July 2025, after Ford decided not to run for re-election at the provincial level, he became a registered lobbyist at Toronto City Hall.[14]

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.[15] He was appointed Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism in the Ford Ministry.[16] On September 20, 2024, Ford took a leave of absence to prioritize his "health and well-being over the next couple of months."[17] On January 24, 2025, Ford announced that he would not be running for re-election in the 2025 Ontario general election.[18]

Post-political career

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Ford is the principal at Etobicoke-based lobbying firm MDF Strategies. In June 2025, Ford appeared on the City of Toronto's lobbyist registry, representing Protexxa Inc., a cybersecurity company.[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[19]
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[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Brown, Louise (October 30, 2014). "Etobicoke's newest Ford politician his own man - at 20". Toronto Star. Torstar. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  2. ^ a b McDonald, Catherine (October 2014). "Michael Ford is the latest member of the Ford family to enter politics". Global News. Toronto: Corus Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Andrew-Gee, Eric (November 20, 2015). "Michael Ford is everything his uncles Rob and Doug are not". The Globe and Mail. Toronto: The Woodbridge Company. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  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. Torstar. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  5. ^ Warnica, Richard; Alcoba, Natalie (September 13, 2014). "'Heart is heavy' to leave mayor's race, Ford says". National Post. Toronto: Postmedia Network. p. A2. Retrieved March 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Noronha, Charmaine (September 14, 2014). "Brother to run in Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's place". The Monitor. McAllen, Texas: AIM Media Texas. The Associated Press. p. 9A. Retrieved March 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Torstar Staff (July 24, 2016). "Ward 2 candidates hoping byelection not just a Michael Ford cakewalk". Metro. Toronto. Torstar News Service. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  8. ^ White, Patrick; Gray, Jeff (March 22, 2016). "Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford dies at 46". The Globe and Mail. Toronto: The Woodbridge Company. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  9. ^ Fox, Chris (May 4, 2016). "Michael Ford announces intention to seek election in Ward 2". CP24 News. Toronto: Bell Media. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Fraser, Laura (July 26, 2016). "Ford nation lives': Michael Ford will carry family's political brand in Ward 2". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  11. ^ Rider, David (July 25, 2016). "Michael Ford wins Ward 2 Etobicoke North byelection". Toronto Star. Torstar. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  12. ^ Web Staff (October 18, 2018). "Ward by ward: A look at candidates running in a new 25-ward system". CTV News. Toronto: Bell Media. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  13. ^ Westoll, Nick (December 1, 2018). "Meet 3 newly elected Ontario officials 25 and under who are looking to make a difference". Global News. Toronto: Corus Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Spurr, Ben (July 8, 2025). "Michael Ford, former MPP and premier's nephew, registers as lobbyist at Toronto city hall". Toronto Star. Torstar. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Lourenco, Denio (January 24, 2025). "'A new chapter in my life': MPP Michael Ford will not seek re-election". CityNews. Toronto: Rogers Communications. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  19. ^ "Declaration of Results" (PDF). Toronto City Clerk's Office. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  20. ^ "Clerk's Official Declaration of By-election Results" (PDF). Toronto City Council. June 26, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
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