Rob Ford was the lone dissenting vote in city council against receiving a petition to stop the practice of carding in Toronto on Tuesday.

It is the second time the former mayor and current Etobicoke councillor, who had been off work while recovering from cancer surgery, has returned to council to vote against one of Mayor John Tory's initiatives as well as the popular sentiment in the chamber.

The anti-carding petition, signed by 7,000 Torontonians, was delivered to council as the city looks to eliminate the controversial police practice of stopping and questioning people without cause. It was accepted by a vote of 38-1.

Mayor John Tory has called for the end of carding, as have other councillors including Michael Thompson, chair of the police board. But the former mayor, who has supported carding, remains steadfast.

"I've always supported carding," said Ford in a previous appearance at council. "If people don't have anything to hide, no matter the colour of their skin, then show your ID."