EDITORIAL: 108

Approximately 108 municipal leaders, both past and present will be appearing on the federal ballot on April 28th.

As Canadians head to the polls for the April 28th Federal Election, a crucial question looms over the future of governance in this country: who will truly champion the needs of our cities, towns, and rural communities?

Over the first half of the campaign trail, our Canada Votes 2025 series has taken us across the country in conversation with dozens of municipal leaders—mayors, reeves, councillors, wardens—asking a simple yet powerful question: What do municipalities want to hear in this election?

The answers have been remarkably consistent.

Municipalities want a federal partner. Not a distant overseer. Not a vague cheerleader. But a committed, reliable partner at the national level. One that will co-author solutions to the most pressing issues affecting Canadians in their communities—because at the end of the day, that’s where life happens.

They want a federal government that understands infrastructure isn’t just about roads and bridges, but about broadband, cellular networks, and access to clean water. They want support for housing that’s affordable, communities that are safe, and a trading landscape that considers local economies. They want to be heard when decisions at the national and global level trickle down into potholes on local roads, struggling emergency services, or rural towns left in a cellular dead zone.

But here’s the troubling part: despite the critical importance of municipalities in Canadians’ day-to-day lives, these voices are being drowned out in a federal campaign obsessed with national talking points, vague platitudes, and party loyalty. So far, municipal priorities have remained on the fringes of major party platforms, and when they do surface, it's often with little substance.

That’s a mistake—politically and morally.

Because after April 28, if municipalities are finally on the federal agenda, then there will be about 108 people with some heavy lifting to do.

Over the past week, we reviewed the publicly available biographies of candidates across all 334 federal ridings - for the major parties. Our focus: municipal experience.

Out of the current slate of candidates from the Liberal Party, Conservative Party, NDP, Greens, and Bloc Québécois, 108 individuals have some form of municipal experience. That includes current or former mayors, councillors, and regional leaders. Some served decades ago; others still hold office today.

At the time of our research (and, yes, numbers may still shift), the Liberals lead the pack with 47 candidates with municipal credentials. The Conservatives are close behind at 40. The NDP trails with about 16 candidates, while the Greens and the Bloc each hover under 5.

On the surface, these are just numbers. But in practice, they represent something profound: an opportunity. These 108 individuals know what it’s like to govern at the most intimate level. They understand the pain points of infrastructure funding delays, the consequences of unpredictable broadband coverage, and the reality that policing, social housing, and local planning don’t wait for federal cycles.

These candidates should be the vanguard of a new federal-municipal relationship.

The big question is: Will they be?

The temptation in federal politics—especially for first-time MPs—is to fall in line. To play the game. To focus on party cohesion and toe the platform line. But that approach won’t cut it in 2025.

Municipal leaders entering federal politics carry with them a unique responsibility: to bridge the gap between local realities and national policymaking. They must not simply echo their party’s talking points but instead be conduits for the voices of their home communities.

Will they speak up for bail reform that protects local public safety without overburdening law enforcement? Will they demand stable, long-term infrastructure funding rather than one-time cheques timed with election cycles? Will they ensure that resource development projects reflect the needs of the municipalities most directly impacted? Will they push for reliable cellular and broadband service not as an afterthought, but as a core service, as essential as electricity?

These are not partisan issues. They’re Canadian issues. And they are being felt most acutely at the municipal level.

re

Take the case of broadband internet—a staple of modern life, yet still elusive in many parts of rural Canada. We heard stories from rural mayors who’ve waited years for fiber optic connections to be completed, only for projects to stall due to funding gaps or jurisdictional red tape. The same goes for cellular coverage, where "dead zones" still leave first responders, farmers, and families in the dark.

Municipalities have solutions. They just need a partner at the table.

If municipalities had a seat at the table during federal trade discussions, we might have seen a more measured approach to tariffs that have, in recent months, disproportionately affected local manufacturers and farming communities.

If municipalities were meaningfully consulted on housing programs, we might avoid the disconnect between federal targets and the actual capacity of towns and cities to support new developments with roads, water, and emergency services.

And if municipal concerns were factored into immigration policy planning, communities might be better prepared to welcome and integrate newcomers without being stretched beyond their limits.

Municipalities are not junior players in this federation. They are where the rubber meets the road—quite literally. But too often, they are treated as afterthoughts by federal leaders who would rather score points in Question Period than address local crises on the ground.

It’s time to change that.

Let’s be clear: municipalities are not asking for handouts. They are not expecting the federal government to swoop in and solve their problems. What they are asking for is predictability, collaboration, and respect.

They are asking for a renewed federal-municipal framework that recognizes municipalities as equal partners in policy development and funding agreements. One that streamlines communication between federal departments and local councils. One that backs up promises with funding that is reliable, flexible, and long-term.

There is precedent. In previous years, initiatives like the Gas Tax Fund (now the Canada Community-Building Fund) provided consistent infrastructure support to municipalities. But many of those agreements are now outdated or underfunded. The time for a new framework is now.

This conversation isn’t just about the Torontos, Vancouvers, and Montreals of Canada. It’s about the mid-sized cities, the rural towns, and the northern communities.

Too often, federal initiatives are designed with urban density in mind, leaving rural and remote communities struggling to adapt cookie-cutter policies to very different realities.

Whether it’s in broadband expansion or climate adaptation strategies, these regions are crying out for federal policies that reflect their unique geography and demographics.

This is where former and current municipal leaders can shine. They understand that one size rarely fits all, and they know how to design policies that work at the ground level.

Regardless of which party forms government, the path forward must include municipalities—not just in consultation, but in co-governance.

That means whoever becomes Prime Minister must commit to convening a Federal-Provincial - Municipal Leaders Summit after taking office. That summit must focus on some important things: A new long-term infrastructure funding agreement that is multi-year, flexible, and indexed to inflation. A national rural connectivity plan that goes beyond pilot projects and aims to end the digital divide within five years. A formal municipal voice in intergovernmental forums where trade, immigration, housing, and public safety are being discussed.

And that’s just the start.

Most of all, it means recognizing and empowering those over 100 municipal leaders who have now stepped into federal shoes. They must be the champions of this cause—regardless of party, regardless of region.

To those candidates who’ve lived the reality of potholes, snow removal budgets, rezoning fights, and public hearings: this is your moment.

You know what it means to fight for your communities. Don’t forget that when you walk through the doors of Parliament Hill.

Don’t let party discipline muffle your municipal conscience.

Don’t trade your local insight for national abstraction.

Because Canada needs you now more than ever—not just to speak for your party, but to speak for the towns and cities that make this country work.

The April 28 election may decide who forms the next government.

But what comes after will determine whether municipalities finally get the partner they’ve been waiting for—or whether we continue down a path where the people closest to the ground are left out of the room.

Let’s hope that those municipal leaders past and present are ready to rise.