Peter McCallion, the son of former long-time Mayor Hazel McCallion, is calling on Bonnie Crombie to stop using his mother’s name and image as part of her campaign and for her to withdraw from the race.
“My mother dedicated her life to serving the people of Mississauga,” McCallion says, in a video posted online Thursday morning. “To her public office was a commitment to the people she served not a stepping stone to advance her own ambition.”
Crombie has faced criticism for quitting mid-term as Mississauga mayor in 2024 to run for Liberal leader, only to now attempt to win back her old job in the current race.
Hazel McCallion served as Mayor of Mississauga from 1978 to 2014, when she chose not to seek re-election and endorsed Crombie as her replacement. She died in 2023 at the age of 101.
“My mother had already come to regret her 2014 endorsement of Bonnie Crombie before she passed away,” Peter says in his video. “She didn’t live to see Bonnie walk away from the job and turn her back on our beloved city, that I know would have gutted her.”
“Bonnie I am asking you to step aside and to stop using my mother’s name for your own political gain.”
McCallion — who has himself run for elected office in the past — said he is supporting Carolyn Parrish because of her 40 years of service in the community.
The video statement comes as the latest polling shows Crombie slightly in the lead to win the election. The race has turned into a three-way content between Crombie, Parrish and Councillor Alvin Tedjo, with polling showing the three candidates all relatively close.
