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Much like the city of Vancouver, which has had political parties for decades, political parties at the municipal level will make it easier for Toronto residents to know where their candidate stands on important issues. This knowledge may contribute to a higher voter turnout in future elections in Toronto.

The ultimate beneficiary of a reduced council is the mayor. Currently, the mayor has to attain the support of at least 22 of his council colleagues, in addition to his own vote in order to get policies adopted at council. With the proposed provincial changes of a reduced council, the next mayor of Toronto would only have to corral the support of 12 councillors, making it potentially easier for them to achieve the mandate that they were elected on.

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Of course, a number of politicians will be resistant to political parties because it may not give them the flexibility to vote independently on issues that affect their community. However, being a member of a municipal political party in Toronto can still provide flexibility for Councillors to vote on local issues independently, and be used only on issues that affect the entire city.

We have seen a number of initiatives by some individuals and organizations to advocate for specific issues and policies that have been able to attain political support based on ideology. This year, political action groups, like Progress Toronto have been created with ties to left of centre ideology. These groups have been created in the absence of political parties but act as surrogates for Councillors and candidates who consistently identify with a specific philosophy.