When Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP swept to victory this spring, they did with a broad coalition of urban, suburban and rural citizens. But nowhere did Albertans respond more enthusiastically to the NDP’s message of change than in the province’s largest cities.

Premier Notley and her amazing team won every single seat in Edmonton, and an overwhelming majority in the once “true blue” bastion of Calgary.

When you look at the issues facing Canada’s biggest cities, it’s not hard to see why.

The best part of my job as Leader of the Opposition, is that I get to travel this amazing country meeting Canadians from every walk of life. It may be a surprise to most people on Parliament Hill, but most middle-class families aren’t obsessed with federal politics. No matter where I go, no matter who I meet, Canadians, just like Albertans, are focused on issues a whole lot closer to home.

People in Edmonton are talking about transit and infrastructure. In Winnipeg, they’re talking about rising commute times and crumbling roads. In Toronto, they’re talking about how more than half of all families in the GTA canno longer find a single, stable, full-time job.

While these issues may not seem obviously related to the federal government, they are. Each and every one of these challenges is felt from one Canadian city to the next. Canadian municipalities are responsible for 60% of our infrastructure, but only have 8% of the tax base. The math just doesn’t add up – not without the federal government doing its part.

In the last nine years, under Stephen Harper, the federal government has done anything but.

Today, over 80% of Canadians live in urban areas. Cities account for nearly 85% of Canadian jobs. A thriving, livable urban centre can be every bit as big a job creator as striking oil. If natural resources are the fuel for our economy, then our cities are its engine.

Yet only now, in the dying days of his government, when oil prices have dropped and his economic policies fallen into disrepute, is Mr. Harper talking about the importance of urban infrastructure – this, after having cut $5.8 billion in infrastructure funding over 5 years.

The NDP has a proud tradition of standing up for local communities, and starting on day one, we’ll begin repairing the damage that Stephen Harper’s neglect has done.

My friend Jack Layton was one of the fiercest advocates for cities this country has ever had. His work as a city councillor and President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities culminated in the New Deal for Cities and NDP’s Better Balance Budget – giving local communities the resources they needed to deliver the vital, everyday services that Canadian families rely on.

As Leader of the NDP, I’ve strived to continue Jack’s legacy. Cities and infrastructure are central to the NDP plan’s for middle-class jobs. This is why I announced that an NDP government would ensure that roads, bridges and vital infrastructure are there when we need them.

We’ll start with the equivalent of one additional cent of the existing gas tax— ramping up to an additional $1.5 billion at the end of a first mandate to reach $3.7 billion annually in stable, long-term investment in core infrastructure.

We will also tackle gridlock and cut commute times with the NDP’s Better Transit Plan, developed in partnership with provinces and territories, providing $1.3 billion annually in predictable, stable and transparent public transit investment over the next 20 years.

I’ve also committed to appoint Canada’s first Minister of Urban Affairs, so the importance of our cities is finally recognized by the federal government.

Working together with provinces and municipalities, we can make our cities a cornerstone of the 21st century economy, and a source of good-paying, middle-class jobs for generations to come. An NDP government will get the job done.

- Tom Mulcair is leader of the opposition, leader of the NDP and the MP for Outremont.