Ben Johnson, the former Canadian sprinter, is going to be part of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s re-election campaign, along with a cast member of the cult TV comedy Trailer Park Boys.

Ford came out of his office at Toronto City Hall briefly today to tell reporters that he wanted to introduce two new members of his mayoral campaign team — Johnson and actor Sam Tarasco, known for playing Sam "Caveman" Losco on Trailer Park Boys.

"So, I’d just like to welcome Cave from the Trailer Park Boys and Ben to city hall," Ford said.

"And I’m excited to have them on our campaign team and we’re going to do a few events and I want to thank them for their support."

Ford was vague when asked what the two men would do for his campaign.

"Everybody is going to help out in every, you know, way possible," Ford said. "And they want to come out to events and they want, you know, to get votes.

"They know I have a proven track record and they know everything about me."

The mayor was asked what he thought about Johnson's own record.

Previous Next "You know what? I support Ben 100 per cent," Ford said. "We’ve all made mistakes in life. I’ve supported him since Day One and that’s the bottom line."

Ford went back to his office and Johnson and Tarasco walked to a nearby elevator.

Tuesday was not the first time that Ford has met with a celebrity since taking office in 2010. The mayor has previously arm-wrestled Hulk Hogan, met Dave Chappelle and handed campaign bumper stickers to comedians Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis.

The past year has seen Ford’s name become well known outside of Canada after a drug-related scandal in which the mayor admitted to having smoked crack cocaine, following many months of denials.

The story of his drug use led to calls for him to step down, council stripping him of selected powers and late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel inviting the mayor to appear on his Los Angeles-based show, which Ford did.

Ford is seeking a second-term as mayor this fall. More than 40 other people are in the running for the job.