Should the Federal Government Care More About Cities and Urban Issues?
The Canadian federal government doesn’t have explicit interest in cities, however they sometimes work with municipalities or provinces to address issues that impact urban dwellers (e.g., funding for transit lines). But, should the federal government have more of a direct interest in cities?
I think Canada can learn a lot from federal governments of many other countries that have an explicit and invested interest in cities. Take Australia, the City of Norwood Payneham & St. Peters’ Smart City Plan lies within a strategic context that includes programs and plans created by the federal government:
1) Smart Cities Plan: This plan aims to coordinate infrastructure projects, affordable housing, and environmental policy across all Australian cities. Within the plan, the Australian federal government has committed to investing $50 million for infrastructure projects, collaborating with the private sector to establish an Infrastructure Financing Unit, and work with state and territory governments to have intergovernmental collaboration.
2) Smart Cities and Suburbs Program: This program provides funding to cities in towns to support the delivery of innovative programs that “improve the livability, productivity and sustainability” of communities.
An OECD report on The State of National Urban Policy in Australia noted the explicit interest the federal government has in urban policy, and that the Smart Cities Plan extensively covers urban policy issues including economic development and environmental sustainability. Additional characteristics of the Smart Cities Plan highlighted by the OECD report include promoting urban land-use efficiency, effective municipal finance systems, and collaboration between urban actors. The invested interest the Australian federal government has in cities is evident, and it is allowing for connected intergovernmental planning and responses to common urban policy challenges.
So is it fair to ask why Canada doesn’t have a similar plan? I think so.
Another OCED report, this time on The State of National Urban Policy in Canada described previous attempts by the federal government to play a larger role in urban policy making. There was once a Prime Minister’s Caucus Task Force on Urban issues, and a Cities Secretariat within the Privy Council Office. The Cities Secretariat later became part of Infrastructure Canada, and it seems like this killed any explicit interest held by the federal government in cities.
But this begs the question, why does Canada not have a federal urban or smart cities plan? Well yes, the Constitution does give provinces total control of municipalities. However, it is plausible to think the federal government would still care about and create a federal response to urban challenges, as many of the same challenges are experienced in cities across the country. A coordinated response to urban policy challenges would allow for continual investment into cities, instead of the ad-hoc funding and collaboration Canadian cities have become accustomed to.
So, should the Canadian federal government create a Ministry of Urban Affairs?
