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Canada's PM Rubs Shoulders With Former Crack-Smoking Mayor Rob Ford

Rob Ford, who is now a city councillor, hosted a last-minute rally for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to help shore up votes from his devoted political following ahead of the Oct. 19 election.
Image of the Ford family with Stephen Harper via Twitter

A group of 50 protesters waved banners and booed at the hundreds of people driving into a convention centre outside of Toronto Saturday night for one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's last rallies before the Canadian federal election comes to an end.

This time, they weren't just protesting Harper, but his host, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who made international headlines when he confessed to smoking crack in one of his "drunken stupors" in 2012 while in office. Ford was diagnosed with cancer last year, forcing him to drop out of his own mayoral election race.

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"Shame on you!" one protester shouted at an oncoming car while a guitar player strummed the anti-Harper folk tune Harperman. "There's a crack head inside!"

Small group of protesters singing Harperman in front of Ford/Harper rally — Rachel Browne (@rp_browne)October 17, 2015

"We expect higher standards from our prime minister, to not associate with people who use drugs, who is openly misogynistic, who is openly racist," said Mohammed Hashim, organizer for the Toronto and York Labor Council. "In Toronto, we shouldn't allow people like this to be having rallies and spreading hate."

Earlier this week, Rob Ford, who is now a city councillor, and his brother Doug — both die-hard Conservatives — announced the last-minute rally to shore up votes from their devoted political following, known as "Ford Nation." And with the Liberal Party suddenly ahead in several polls, Harper is relying on getting as many votes as possible from the coveted Greater Toronto Area, a major battleground region that could make or break him.

At the rally, an estimated 2,000 Conservatives adorned in blue, some of whom drove more than five hours to be there, cheered as Doug Ford took to the stage, his brother watching from the audience, and Harper nowhere to be seen yet. Ford warned about the perils of a Trudeau government. "Make no mistake, God help this country" he bellowed. "It would be an absolute disaster."

Doug Ford speaking. Crowd goes wild. — Rachel Browne (@rp_browne)October 18, 2015

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Harper, who holds himself out to be a crusader against drug use, was slammed by the media and his opponents throughout the week for being involved with the notorious brothers, especially Rob. Political strategists characterized the event as a desperate ploy for votes from a prime minister on the verge of losing power.

It also didn't help that around the time the rally was announced, Maclean's magazine ran an explosive excerpt from the upcoming tell-all book by Rob Ford's former chief of staff Mark Towhey. It it, he describes a manic late-night phone call from Ford in which he hears Ford and his wife fighting and yelling about drugs and guns in front of their daughter.

Harper has refused to even utter the Ford name this week when pressed about the event by reporters. And after Doug Ford's speech, a Conservative MP appeared to introduce Harper, creating another buffer between the prime minister and the controversial family.

But in the end, after Harper gave his standard speech about protecting the economy from the "tax-and-spend" Liberals, he thanked the crowd and those who organized the rally, "including the Fords."

As Harper's spokesperson watched nearby, Doug Ford told reporters it was the Conservative Party that organized the event, and he just brought family and friends to help them out.

"The Fords have been involved with the Conservative Party for 50 years. Every single federal, provincial, municipal election," he said.

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"There is no one [who] can change the colors of a street more than Rob Ford can," he added. "He decorated the whole street blue."

And, away from the media, both Ford brothers posed for a family photo with Harper. Rob's tweet of the photo went viral.

Thank you — Rob Ford (@TorontoRobFord)October 18, 2015

One rally-goer, Anna Tolsos, told VICE News she isn't at all bothered by Rob Ford's past and says it in no way impacts her support for Harper. "I came here because Doug Ford put this on. But listening to Stephen Harper tonight, I'm convinced he's right," she said.

"It doesn't matter what Rob has done in the past. He did a good job as mayor, what he does during his own personal time is his own business."

Canadians head to the polls on Monday.

Follow Rachel Browne on Twitter@rp_browne