Olivia Chow says racism is a factor in Toronto’s mayoral campaign, but she doesn’t believe it has hurt her candidacy.

Chow met with the Star’s editorial board on Wednesday, 12 days before voting day on Oct. 27. She began by describing the deep divisions across the city. Excerpts:

We cannot continue the way the city has been, in leaving some neighbourhoods behind. It’s becoming more and more obvious, as you can tell from the Vital Signs report, that there people and neighbourhoods that are being left behind… There’s a deep sense of hopelessness that we have to break through. We’re talking about the second generation now because these neighbourhoods have been mired in poverty for quite a long time.

A lot of people who might ordinarily listen to your message are saying “we have to back the candidate with the best chance of making sure we don’t have another four years of Ford”. How are you going to overcome that?

I’m asking people to vote not based on fear. When people do things on fear they often make mistakes. We need to vote based on hope, a more hopeful future for a better city… I do not see any platform from John Tory that is costed out that really addresses the core problems that this city faces.

Are you really expecting people to believe there is no fundamental difference between John Tory and Doug Ford?

Putting aside personality, think about the policies. Doug Ford (open Doug Ford's policard) has no policy on affordable childcare; neither does John Tory… What role does the city have in creating jobs under Mr Tory’s plan? It’s not clear… Both of them are saying they’re not going to put any money into public transit. How is that different? Neither will talk about after-school activities for kids, children’s food programs… So really is there any fundamental difference? They’re both conservative in their approach.

So if Doug Ford were to win because you took away votes from John Tory, then that would be fine?

Doug Ford has no capacity to get his mandate through anyway… I don’t believe he would get elected; I don’t see it… Fundamentally what is most important is what gets done the next four years. I do not see Mr. John Tory getting much done. Because either he cuts a lot of services to finance his transit scheme, or he abandons his transit scheme.

What’s your path to victory in the next 12 days?

Be myself. I am the only candidate who talks about what a progressive city looks like. I am the only one who has a concrete, real plan to get things done. My actions speak louder than words. I am the only one who has delivered results for the city…

What lessons have you drawn from the fact that a third of the people continue to support one of the Fords?

The interesting thing about all-candidates meetings is that I get to meet the so-called Ford Nation, because they show up. And then I hang out afterwards and I talk to them. These are the people who feel they are left behind; they feel that no one cares about them, that there’s these elites downtown that control all the power; that no one feels their pain. And here comes Rob Ford (open Rob Ford's policard) to say I know what you’re going through.

Over and over again they walk over and say, Olivia Chow, if it wasn’t for Doug Ford I would support you. They don’t think policy at all. It’s about who is on their side. They know I am on their side but these are the folks who are committed to Ford… These are the folks from those priority neighbourhoods I’m talking about, and we need to bring them back.

Then how do you explain poll after poll in say, Scarborough, where you run really badly?

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I don’t explain polls. I leave that for you to do.

John Laschinger, Chow campaign manager: How do you explain the Toronto Star running a Forum poll the same night that Mainstream Technologies runs a poll with an 11-point spread, difference? You’re saying the polls say this, and I’m saying “the polls say what?” An 11-point difference on one night? It is a travesty.

Olivia Chow: Do we really think that elections should be run by polls?

Do you think racism is a factor in the campaign?

Yes, absolutely. We know that the colour of poverty, a lot of it is from the racialized communities. Here I am, I step forward to want to lead this city. It threatens and challenges a whole lot of people. Some verbalize it in a way, to tell me to go home, to go to China. Other mention that my English somehow not good enough. Others call me straight out “Chink” and all of those terrible words.

So yes, there is very explicit racism that you see on the surface. And then there is something that is subtle, that people don’t talk about very much, that they can’t find a job even though they’re totally qualified and why is it? We can go on a long, long discussion about systemic racism.

Is the kind of systemic racism you talk about part of what you are facing as a candidate?

No. The outward one, the explicit one, the name-calling, yes.

Is that subtle racism, the hidden racism, hurting your candidac y?

No, no, I don’t believe so… But if our society, if the general public ignore that people who are living in poverty, a lot of them are from racialized communities, and ignore that there is a lot we can do for them, then that is a problem.

You have a lot of good ideas, but they aren’t transformative.

I think 15,000 units of affordable housing is pretty decent. It’s better than what Mr. Tory is offering, which is none. I never over-promise… Maybe you want a candidate who will promise you the sun, the moon and the sky. That’s not who I am. I’m practical, very concrete; what I say I will do, I will get it done.

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