Ideas and Parties

As we go deeper into this year of city elections, we are hearing many ideas (new and old) on how to change and hopefully improve our city. To make ideas become city policy and programmes and /or services requires consensus building and vote gathering_ both on election day and in the elected city parliament _ that is, city council.

A single councillor or even the mayor must have the support of council to see ideas go forward beyond being a nice or attractive notion or proposal.

This March 16 article, Porter: City council hopefuls are just what Toronto needs reflects some good ideas ( by councillor wanabees who likely won't win) yet are worthy of public and continued discussion.

Historically, the key role of a political party is to aid the process of an individual's idea becoming part of a group interest that in the elected assembly can propose and debate coherently and vigorously such ideas to enable enacting legislation. A party provides the "marketing" agency that can under its "brand" promote widely what an individual normally cannot. The media attention expands. The consensus building is broader and deeper when a group or coalition stands behind ideas or proposals. Parties become idea champions_ ideas that represent both non-elected and elected party membership and more of the general public.

For too long parties have not been allowed in city politics in Ontario. This might have been reasonable when cities were much smaller. But today, Toronto has a larger population than most provinces with a total budget well over $9 billion. No one councillor can grasp the totality of the urban governance or be on top of things _ across the city and maybe, even with a ward.

A party allows councillors to become needed and proven "specialists" as well as weak foundation generalists in city matters. We see this in Ottawa and at Queen's Park.

In Canada's two next in size cities, Montreal and Vancouver city party politics has been in place for decades. Maybe, there are reasons why both cities have had the "world class" experiences and events that Toronto has only seen from the sidelines.

City parties are not just city versions of the parties we see in Ottawa or at Queens Park. They group under shared and concrete ideas on the liveable city more than abstract and the left-right spectrum categories. They can become the mechanism to enhance civic participation by more people.

It is time that ideas on how to change and improve Toronto start with a focus on the role of city political parties and their ability to bring ideas forward and create consensus for voters to make on election day. No candidate so far has seen this void.