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Rob Ford’s brother to promote ‘Ford Nation’ book, run for office within a year

Sep 13, 2016 | 8:45 AM

TORONTO — A new book about Rob Ford and his family will “rock” the political and media worlds, the brother of Toronto’s late crack-smoking mayor announced Tuesday amid speculation he is toying with the idea of running for the Conservative party leadership.

Doug Ford, a former Toronto city councillor, said he would be touring the country to promote the book titled “Ford Nation: Two Brothers, One Vision—The True Story of the People’s Mayor.”

“When this comes out, from the prime minister to the premier to the mayor, it’s going to rock the media world, it’s going to rock the political world,” Ford told a crowd of reporters gathered in the backyard of his mother’s house in the city’s west end.

“It’s going to have stories that no one here has ever heard, no one in the country has ever heard.”

The 51-year-old was one of Rob Ford’s closest advisers and fiercest allies during his scandal-plagued term as mayor of Canada’s largest city. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2014 after his brother dropped out following a cancer diagnosis.

Asked Tuesday whether he would consider jumping back into politics, Doug Ford said he would “within about a year.”

“I can assure you I will be running politically,” he said.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be holding the mayor accountable…or the premier that runs up an over $300-billion deficit, or our new prime minister, running around taking pictures with Vogue rather than worrying about jobs and the finances of this country.”

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. has acquired rights to the book, which will be published on Nov. 22.

 

Liam Casey, The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the announcement was made on the front lawn when in fact it was made in the backyard.