The Star today pretty much endorsed the Liberals (at least as far as the urban agenda goes)...
EDITORIAL: Liberals best hope to champion cities
Jan. 12, 2006. 10:25 AM
Exactly four years ago today, in a front-page editorial, this newspaper launched a campaign demanding fundamental change in the way Canada treated its big cities. We argued that large urban areas, like Toronto, needed a "new deal" delivering new funding, new powers and new respect. And we urged officials in Ottawa and Queen's Park, business leaders and mayors, to support a determined drive for change.
Now, on the fourth anniversary of that clarion call, public officials are starting to listen and, more important, act. Cities are reaping new money from their share of gasoline taxes; there has been fresh funding for public transit, and Toronto is set to get many powers now held by the province.
The campaign has made undeniable progress. But more must be done. The bold new deal that cities need has not yet been delivered in full. And voters should bear that in mind when they go to the polls on Jan. 23.
Big cities still need a stable source of money drawn from taxes that grow with the economy. That is especially true for Toronto, which faces a $532 million budget shortfall. All cities need a designated share of sales-related taxes, or income tax. But progress won't happen toward that goal without a government in power that respects and understands urban areas.
So far, cities have not received the attention they deserve in the current federal election. All parties should do more to address that gap.
To date, though, the Liberals have proven themselves strong stewards of the urban agenda. It was Prime Minister Paul Martin who lifted from municipalities the burden of the goods and services tax, saving communities $7 billion over 10 years. He also delivered a share of the federal gasoline tax worth $2 billion a year, when fully rolled out. And, in a formal policy package released yesterday, the Liberals promise to build on these commitments to make a new deal for cities a key part in Canada's success.
To his credit, New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton furthered the municipal agenda last summer by pressing the Liberal government to provide $800 million in extra funding for transit. Layton also wants to accelerate the sharing of federal gasoline taxes with municipalities. However, Layton is unlikely to have much success, if the Conservatives win the election, in pressuring a Tory government to do the right thing.
Canada needs a party in power that understands the vital importance of a new deal for cities. And Conservative leader Stephen Harper has been less open to that message than other national leaders.
Harper has promised to retain Martin's basic new deal accomplishments, but his own steps forward on this file have been tentative and indirect. He has proposed a minimal tax credit for transit costs incurred by a subgroup of commuters. And, in a policy release yesterday, Harper announced a five-year, $2 billion fund to be spent mainly on highways. It hardly amounts to an inspired agenda for cities.
To quote from the Star's editorial four years ago: "Great cities don't happen by accident. They are built on a foundation of daring ideas, smart investments and political determination."
Of the two parties in a position to form the next government, the Liberals are the best option for cities and those who fight to advance them.
