In what many consider a difficult week for the federal Conservatives, full of big events, there was a small event at Toronto city hall that could spell trouble down the line.



Mayor John Tory (a former Ontario PC leader) and Councillor Shelley Carroll (an enthusiastic Liberal) met privately with GTA Liberal MPs - former councillor Adam Vaughan, Eve Adams, Ted Hsu, Chrystia Freeland, Judy Sgro, John McKay, John McCallum, Kirsty Duncan, Carolyn Bennett and Arnold Chan.



Greeting reporters later, they said they discussed ongoing, reliable federal funding for public transit and social housing repair and creation, as well as job creation - particularly for young people - with an obvious eye to the looming federal election.

The backdrop is an emerging feeling among big-city mayors in Canada that, more than ever before, they have a chance to flex some muscle and receive the respect -- and funding -- they deserve. Part of an international ascension of city agendas in an increasingly urbanized world, it remains mostly theory in Canada. However, one need only look at the power of Calgary's Naheed Nenshi, and the number of times federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver has sought to be photographed with Tory, to see the possibilities.

The federal Conservative government has, until very recently, ignored years of pleas for permanent national transit and affordable/social housing funding, preferring instead periodic infrastructure programs that yield announcements and photo ops.



Last month's federal budget promised, for the first time, ongoing funding for transit. Many denounced it as too little arriving too late -- $250 million in 2017, doubling the next year and then to a permanent $1 billion in 2019. Tory, though, was effusive in his praise, calling it a major step forward for Canada and for Toronto.



But the lifelong, well, Tory greeted the Liberal pack Friday with smiles and words as warm as those he showered on Thomas Mulcair in March when the NDP leader called Toronto the most important city in Canada and arrived with the kind of robust urban platform that Tory demanded as leader of CivicAction.

The mayor described his meeting with the Liberals as "excellent." He is hopeful the full Liberal urban agenda to be released next month will include permanent transit and housing funding.

That's virtually guaranteed, based on Vaughan's op-ed in Friday's Star and his words to reporters. (Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is expected to unveil the urban platform, the Star has learned, at the June 5-8 Federation of Canadian Municipalities meeting in Edmonton.)

"We need a different kind of relationship in this country, one that delivers transit, housing, infrastructure, in partnership with cities and part of that involves talking with the mayors and talking with city councillors on a continual basis and not just at ribbon-cutting exercises and the other part of that is to have programs that actually deliver dollars to city halls and town halls across this country that gets this country growing again," Vaughan said.

"We look forward to coming back here not just with more conversation but with cheques, with support, and with real gamechangers for this city because the city that we all live in, the city that we all love can do better and it will do better when we have good strong partnerships with the federal government in Ottawa."

Tory quipped: "And I heard you say 'with cheques' - that's great!"

Toronto's new-ish, very popular mayor reiterated that he will not endorse a particular federal party.

But asked if, once all the policies are hung out to dry, he will say which are best for Torontonians, Tory made his clearest statement to date.

"If, for example, the Liberal platform comes out and has something as good or better on transit that what the federal budget has in it, I'll be the first to say so.

"I said on the day of the federal budget that I would hope that, even if it was nothing more than that, that the other two parties might match the national permanent fund even if it's on the same timetable with respect to when the money comes." Translation: he is hoping for a bidding war, with parties one-upping each other with city-friendly policies.

For federal Tories, who are in constant contact with Tory's office (Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a point of meeting Tory as soon he took office) this is not good news.



Tory's refusal to be a good party soldier, like his problematic predecessor Rob Ford, spells trouble unless the Conservative platform builds significantly on the budget pledge.

Surrounded by grinning Liberals, Tory concluded: "You have to give credit where credit is due and if that's going to be good for Toronto, I'm for it."



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