Toronto has a prominent champion in Ottawa in the run-up to the federal election this fall. And New Democratic Party Leader Tom Mulcair deserves full credit for assuming that role.

It remains to be seen if the other national party leaders will join him in putting forward bold urban agendas of their own. But they should. When Toronto and other major cities thrive, so does all of Canada.

It’s difficult to put the case better than Mulcair did himself in an important speech on Sunday. “Only when Toronto is strong is Canada strong,” he said. “When it comes to the future of Toronto and all of our big cities, I believe it’s time to think big again, to be bold again, to reach higher and build the Canada of our dreams.”

Mulcair proceeded to outline some “first steps” for how a New Democratic government would do just that. And he covered all the right policy areas in speaking to about 1,300 party faithful at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Noting that the average commute time in Toronto is longer than in Los Angeles, New York or London, he pledged to support public transit in cities across the country through dedicated, long-term funding. “Our commitment will be permanent, stable and predictable,” Mulcair said.

This has long been a goal of urban advocates urging Ottawa to adopt a national transit strategy devoted to cutting commuting time through long-range, multi-year federal spending.

Speaking directly to Toronto city council and Mayor John Tory (open John Tory's policard), who won election largely on the basis of his promised SmartTrack “surface subway,” Mulcair said he would be a partner on transit: “Together we will get the people of Toronto moving.”

No wonder Tory declared himself “gratified and pleased” with Mulcair’s approach. Other elements of the NDP’s urban agenda include:

Appointing a minister responsible for urban affairs — someone to advocate for cities in federal cabinet when key decisions are made.

Delivering long-term, stable funding for affordable housing.

Identifying, within the first 100 days of taking office, “worthy extensions” of social housing investments that are set to expire and highlighting new spending necessary to ease a crisis in affordable housing.

Introducing $15-a-day child care nationwide, and funding 164,000 daycare spaces in the Greater Toronto Area alone. This should be of significant help to the 20,000 families in this city currently on waiting lists for affordable care.

Accelerating immigration process-times so families can be reunited faster — an important consideration in Toronto, which serves as a magnet for newcomers to Canada.

These are all valuable initiatives. Mulcair is demonstrating a clear understanding of Toronto’s needs and has made addressing them a welcome priority. If his urban agenda is to be faulted, it would be for remaining rather vague – especially on dollar amounts. Those of Mulcair’s policies that come with a clear price tag (such as $15-a-day child care) aren’t strictly municipal in nature, although cities would benefit.

The only concrete amount he offered for transit expansion was an extra $420 million, from the existing gas tax, to be shared by communities across Canada. But that was announced in 2013, and the entire GTA would have to split $90 million — a pittance considering the region’s massive needs.

Likewise for Mulcair’s promises on affordable housing. He appears headed in the right direction but has offered no dollar amount to demonstrate the strength of his commitment.

To give his urban agenda real clout Mulcair needs to flesh it out with more detail, especially how much an NDP government would be willing to spend to advance the cause of cities. There’s still plenty of time for that before the federal election scheduled for October.

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Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper would be wise to weigh in, too, with their own urban agendas. All Canadians stand to benefit. Big cities — especially Toronto — are powerhouses of growth, propelling the entire economy forward. It’s vital to invest in their future.

Urban areas are also where about 80 per cent of Canadian voters happen to live. So a platform that effectively addresses the needs of cities isn’t just smart policy. It’s smart politics, too.

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