OTTAWA—Bill Blair could make the leap from top cop to Parliament Hill.

Both the Liberals and Conservatives have their eyes on Blair when he hangs up his badge in the coming months after a decade as chief of the Toronto Police Service, a source told the Star.

“Nothing I can say other than everybody wants the guy,” said the official of one political party in the hunt.

The long-serving and high-profile police chief, a polished speaker, would be a prize catch for any of the parties, especially in Toronto, which promises to be a hard-fought battleground in the fall election.

Blair’s tenure as Toronto police chief ends April 25. In a recent interview with the Star, he left open the possibility of entering politics, saying he would not be done working at the end of his term.

“I’ve spent my life in public service. If this is not available to me, I’ll find another way to serve,” he told the Star.

Mark Pugash, Toronto police spokesmanperson, said Tuesday Blair’s position has not changed since that interview, and the chief would not be commenting further.

Blair, a 35-year policing veteran, would bring instant name recognition and credibility in areas of law-and-order and social issues, thanks to his time as a police officer and volunteer in community organizations.

After two disastrous election showings, the Liberals have been working to bolster their slate of candidates by attracting people like former army general Andrew Leslie and CTV host Seamus O’Regan.

And while the Conservatives too, reportedly, would like Blair in their camp, the chief sparked a backlash from the party in 2010 over his support for the long-gun registry, an episode that may influence Blair’s political leanings.

Blair spoke in favour of the registry, which was eventually dismantled by the government, prompting Conservative MP Shelley Glover, herself a police officer, to say critics of the registry had been silenced by people like Blair.

That accusation prompted Blair to say he was “quite disappointed” by the scale of the attacks after he voiced his support for the registry.

“I was disappointed by the very disrespectful tone, even bordering on contempt, in which some of the comments were made and questions were asked,” Blair said at the time.

Blair is now into his final few months on the job after the Toronto Police Board last year denied the chief’s bid for a two-year contract extension.

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Blair would not be first Toronto chief to enter into politics; his predecessor, Julian Fantino, currently represents the riding of Vaughan.

However, he has not enjoyed an easy run in federal politics and was recently demoted after a troubled tenure as veterans affairs minister.

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