Can't we just get along?

The federal government should continue to be a strong partner for Toronto, and both the feds and the City should act like the partners we are.

Based on recent events, you might have the wrong impression of Toronto Liberal MPs, the federal government, and the City of Toronto.

With a proposed fiscal plan that already includes a 10.5% property tax increase, Toronto’s budget chief Shelley Carroll threatened an additional 6% “Federal Impacts levy” if the feds don’t provide $250 million for Toronto’s shelter system.

The Star, quoting mostly anonymous sources, declared that “Trudeau’s Toronto MPs are furious at Olivia Chow over her property tax gambit.” I’m not furious, for what it’s worth, and I’m never the anonymous MP, in case you’re ever wondering.

Liberal MP Yvan Baker then did a bit of a media tour rightly highlighting federal investment in Toronto, fairly said “this feels a little bit like a shakedown”, and went way too far in accusing the Mayor of “lying to Torontonians.”

What should we make of all this?

In my view, the fight is unhelpful because it distorts the reality and gives our constituents the wrong impression. Far from an adversarial relationship, this federal government has been a particularly strong partner for Toronto.

Since 2015, the feds have delivered over $5.5 billion to the City of Toronto for transit, housing, its shelter system, public health initiatives, and rescuing it from COVID-related operational shortfalls. Funding was $200 million in 2015, and stayed in that ballpark until it really took off in 2018.

In politics, we love using the word ‘historic.’ We use it so much it loses its meaning. And yet, on the facts, the Trudeau government has provided historic sums to Toronto.

Of course, significant past support doesn’t mean new support isn’t required. And there’s no question that Toronto’s shelter system has been especially strained because of an influx of asylum seekers. Politically, constituents generally see issues related to asylum seekers as a federal responsibility, even if the reality is more complicated.

With that in mind, what does our strong partnership require in these circumstances?

It means delivering renewed federal support to help Toronto manage its shelter system and accommodate a continued influx of asylum seekers.

SIDE NOTE: you’ll often hear people describe an influx of “refugees” in Toronto’s shelter system. This isn’t accurate. Refugees have been designated as such by the UNHCR, they are welcomed through a designated government program (with specific targets), and they are sponsored either by the government or by private groups.

On the other hand, asylum seekers are people who come on their own and claim asylum once they land here. Some may come on temporary visas, while others may arrive without any visa at all. Many will have a legitimate claim for asylum (fleeing persecution or violence in their home country), while many others do not.

A larger conversation (and a different Substack post) is warranted on the question of how we can best address processes to manage an increase in the volume of asylum seekers to Canada, and to deter illegitimate claims.

The smaller and more immediate focus is much simpler: write a cheque to support the shelter system and ensure vulnerable people (including an inordinate number of vulnerable asylum seekers) don’t live on the street.

The federal government has written that cheque before, and I have every expectation we’ll see continued support on this front. Hopefully we see it before February 1, so the city’s budget process can play out without more public fighting.

The message should be one of cooperation: that despite our political differences, we will work together across party lines and levels of government to deliver for our city (and ideally reopen our toboggan hills in the process).

The city will manage its own finances (including any tax increases), and we will deliver support on shared priorities and in areas that touch federal jurisdiction.