ssiguy2
Senior Member
Interesting thing about this election is that Harper did get a lot of big city votes. That helped win him the election but now means that instead of having to just satisfy the rural and small city folks he has to start rewarding the cities as well. The new urban MPs aren't going to be willing to bear the brunt of all the cities dissatisfactions. They want to be seen at all the ribbon cutting ceremonies and nothing looks better than cutting ribbons at the entrance of a shiny new subway system.
Also, despite all the bitching of Harper {and I can't stand the guy}, I will give him credit where it's due. He has been the best PM this country's urban areas have seen in over 40 years. The public transit systems have got at least some ongoing federal support, there has been record amounts invested in urban infrastructure, and he brought in the transit pass tax credit. For all the touchy feelie green talk of the Liberals they gave nothing to the cities for anything. Harper may play hillbilly but he is definately an urban boy...................the smallest city he has ever lived in for any length of time is Calgary. The City of Calgary was begging for LRT expansion funds and they got them as did Toronto.
Harper has shown to be the only PM in over a generation who can even engage in an intelligent conversation about urban issues. He is the only one who put his money where his mouth was from urban transit, low cost housing, water sanitation upgrades, roads, community centres, and playgrounds.........he funded it. Yes, a lot was just stimulus but he put in some long term investments as well.
I went to the Liberal Canada election website and no where was the word "transit" even mentioned.........................not once. Despite the Liberal party's traditional reliance on the hard core urban vote they provided little in return. In terms of purely urban issues, Harper and the Conservatives have been more generous to cities than any time in a half a century. With Layton and all his new urban MPs applying pressure we may find the renaisance of our great cities may happen under a Conservative Harper government.
Also, despite all the bitching of Harper {and I can't stand the guy}, I will give him credit where it's due. He has been the best PM this country's urban areas have seen in over 40 years. The public transit systems have got at least some ongoing federal support, there has been record amounts invested in urban infrastructure, and he brought in the transit pass tax credit. For all the touchy feelie green talk of the Liberals they gave nothing to the cities for anything. Harper may play hillbilly but he is definately an urban boy...................the smallest city he has ever lived in for any length of time is Calgary. The City of Calgary was begging for LRT expansion funds and they got them as did Toronto.
Harper has shown to be the only PM in over a generation who can even engage in an intelligent conversation about urban issues. He is the only one who put his money where his mouth was from urban transit, low cost housing, water sanitation upgrades, roads, community centres, and playgrounds.........he funded it. Yes, a lot was just stimulus but he put in some long term investments as well.
I went to the Liberal Canada election website and no where was the word "transit" even mentioned.........................not once. Despite the Liberal party's traditional reliance on the hard core urban vote they provided little in return. In terms of purely urban issues, Harper and the Conservatives have been more generous to cities than any time in a half a century. With Layton and all his new urban MPs applying pressure we may find the renaisance of our great cities may happen under a Conservative Harper government.