Toronto Mayor Ford participates in a mayoral debate hosted by the Canadian Tamil Congress in Scarborough
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford participates in a mayoral debate hosted by the Canadian Tamil Congress in Scarborough, Ontario in this file photo taken July 15, 2014. Ford has gained ground on challengers heading into an election this fall, according to a poll released on Thursday, but the boost was coupled with fresh claims about inappropriate behavior. REUTERS/Fred Thornhill/Files

U.S. filmmaker Michael Moore asked Toronto voters to vote their mayor Rob Ford out this time.

The Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker called the Toronto mayor a joke. However, he said that the joke was over. It was time for Toronto to get another mayor, he said. "It's funny for a while," Moore said, "And then it wasn't funny. And now it's really NOT funny! Okay, we got the joke. Now it's got to be over!" The American director was talking the Toronto Sun. Moore was also asked, had he been a Toronto voter, if he would have voted in favour of Ford. He was straightforward about his choice of voting. "Oh God, no! No!" he said.

The filmmaker and social critic, who most famous for his political documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11," is apparently a strict follower of Canada politics. He also feels a strong connection with the City of Toronto, he said. He was in the city on Sunday, Sept 7 to attend the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. One of the main reasons for him to attend the festival was the 25th anniversary of the screening of "Roger & Me," his debut documentary. The movie premiered at the festival in 1989 and helped him make a mark as a filmmaker in the industry.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, on the other hand, continued to emphasise on his regret over the "problems" he faced due to his own fault. He said that he wished he had dealt with the issues "years back." He was speaking at the National Franchise and Business Opportunities Show on Saturday. He also said that he had to deal with "very, very, very bad personal days" in the recent past.

"Did I have some problems last year? Absolutely. I woke up one morning and I was fighting and fighting and I was getting into a lot of fights, winning fights, both politically, sometimes having some bad nights," he said. "Enough is enough. I've got to put everything aside or else one day I'm not going to be able to see that guy anymore." He, nevertheless, said that his way of dealing with the issues was to go away for a while and then come back "stronger, better, clearer."

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au