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“I like Doug.”

Former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman has endorsed PC Leader Doug Ford and his team seven days before the province’s voters head to the polls to choose their next government.

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“The NDP and Liberals are trying to buy our votes with a long list of promise – promises they can’t keep – and they come with hefty price tags,” Lastman said in a video released Friday by the Ontario PCs. “Kathleen Wynne and Andrea Horwath don’t seem to give a damn.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLmuwSqqfVs&feature=youtu.be

Former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion has already backed Ford, saying he’s the best choice to manage Ontario’s finances.

The latest polls show Ford tracking toward a majority government, although the Ontario NDP under Andrea Horwath have a slightly larger share of the popular vote and momentum. The Kathleen Wynne Liberals are stuck in third place.

Lastman, who served as the high-profile Toronto mayor for two terms starting in 1998, said he trusts Ford to make life more affordable for average citizens and to return Ontario to its position as the economic powerhouse of Canada.

“He’s a straight shooter. He tells it like it is, and he doesn’t make promises he can’t keep. He has a top notch team of candidates. We can’t let this election run away,” Lastman said.“Who’s better than Doug Ford for Ontario? Nobody!”

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, meanwhile, has been officially backed by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO).

“I’ll take the endorsement of teachers, any day!” Horwath said.

Ontario Liberal spokesman Drew Davidson said of Lastman’s support for Ford: “Who’d take an endorsement like this seriously? Nooooooooooobody.”