The people behind the push to make Toronto a “charter city” with much greater powers to govern itself have nothing on their side except facts, logic and history.

It’s long been clear that Canadian cities — especially metropolises like Toronto — should have the power to run their own affairs and raise the money they need to pay for vital services.

They shouldn’t have to run to their provincial governments like a “little boy in short pants,” as Mayor John Tory famously complained, every time they want to change the way they do things.

Nor should they fear the heavy hand of a provincial government out to do something like, oh, change the rules of an election in mid-campaign. Or grab control of their subway system.

No, cities are way too important for that, and the new group called Charter City Toronto makes an excellent case for giving the city more control over its future.

The details can be debated. But at a minimum it would mean guaranteeing the city powers over how it runs itself and raises taxes, powers that could not be brushed aside at the whim of any other level of government.

Since cities are now mere functions of the provinces, with no independent powers, this would require nothing less than a constitutional amendment.

That alone makes it a long shot, as does the reluctance of any provincial government to cede control to another entity. Double or triple that for Toronto at the moment, facing as it does a Ford government that has treated the city with blatant disrespect.

We know then, as does Charter City Toronto, that this is very unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. But it’s important to make the case and build support for such a vision.

A big, successful city like Toronto should be able to run its own affairs. At some point, facts and logic must count for something.