Jack Layton says the exciting horse races are the ones that change and shift, and a race for Toronto's mayor is no different.
"I have no doubt that I'm backing the right horse," the federal New Democratic leader said Wednesday as he put his support in the mayoral campaign behind Joe Pantalone.Standing in Nathan Phillips Square beside Pantalone - a former Toronto Council colleague - Layton acknowledged "challenging turns" in the race so far, but said it's "in the very early days" and opinion polls, which have not been kind to Pantalone, come and go.He suggested, Pantalone, the city's deputy mayor, can still win on Oct. 25 through "a steady building process."The Toronto-Danforth MP said as a councillor he saw Pantalone, a man with a "pragmatic set of principles," take on tough projects, persevere and bring them in on schedule and on budget. As the city's tree advocate, Layton said, Pantalone increased the city's tree planting goal from 9,000 trees a year - less than the number dying of old age - to the current 100,000. He also lauded the veteran councillor's efforts on the Canadian National Exhibition board, saying Canada's first urban wind turbine on the CNE grounds "never would have happened without Joe Pantalone." For his part, Pantalone said he will endorse candidates for councillor from across the political spectrum, but he warned voters the election is a choice between his progressive views and what he called the divisive, negative politics of former Ontario Premier Mike Harris and current mayoral frontrunner Rob Ford. "Toronto has its challenges. Tell me who doesn't have a challenge," Pantalone said."I know Torontonians want the positive choice, not the negative choice."He also said Layton's endorsement of his mayoral bid removes any illusions of there being another progressive candidate in the race.Layton's son Mike Layton is among the candidates running in Pantalone's ward for his longtime Trinity-Spadina council seat."He's prepared himself well, and he's the same age I was when I was (first) elected," the MP said of his son.