It seems everybody in Toronto has something to say about the federal election.
Well, almost everybody.
As pundits, pollsters, bartenders and taxi drivers argue over everything from taxation to immigration, GTA mayors have kept remarkably quiet.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford refuses to comment altogether. Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, a former Liberal MP, says he trusts residents to make the right decision. Oshawa Mayor John Henry says he's more concerned about how Canadians will pay for the promises being made than the final result. Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion has drafted a document detailing her city's needs, but even she stops short of endorsing a candidate.
So why is the federal election such a hot potato for municipal leaders?
Nelson Wiseman, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto, says it boils down to survival.
"A councillor or mayor's votes might come from a cross-section of party identifiers in the public and you don't want to alienate anybody by coming out on one side," he said. "(Former Toronto Mayor) Mel Lastman was a conservative and everybody knew that, but he didn't campaign for, or publically support anybody because he didn't want to alienate people who voted for him and weren't conservative."
Some, like former Mayor David Miller, go to even greater lengths to distance themselves.
Miller, who ran federally for the New Democratic Party in 1993 and provincially in 1996, gave up his party membership when he came into office. Then, during the 2008 election, Miller surprised many by suggesting the Green Party addressed Toronto's transit needs better than other parties -- a safe bet considering the Greens' chances of being voted in were slim to none.
"He didn't want to jeopardize his dealings with the federal Conservatives," said Wiseman. "It makes sense. You don't want to be punished in any way."
Endorsing issues, not candidates
There are ways for municipalities to have their say without formally endorsing a candidate. That's what Mississauga's approach is all about, according to McCallion.
Mississauga officials identified infrastructure and transit as key local issues. Candidates were then invited to answer a questionnaire on what they would do to address the issues.
McCallion hopes local voters use it as a resource.
"We are not promoting or endorsing any party, but we are saying look at the platforms and think about how it is going to affect the city," McCallion said in an interview with CP24.com. "Is the party's platform going to do the job for the city? It is a matter of getting the public informed about what the needs are. That's what we are trying to do."
McCallion said she's never weighed in on a federal election during her 32 years as mayor, but felt the need to this time around.
"I have great concerns about talk of federal parties cutting taxes and coming up with a balanced budget in so many years," she said. "Mississauga is going to suffer and suffer badly. In fact the country is going to suffer.
"Taxes have to come from somewhere and if it doesn't come from the federal government it will have to come from property and that's a major concern," she added. "Where is the money for infrastructure going to come from?"
Oshawa Mayor John Henry echoes McCallion's concerns.
"As mayor I represent 152,000 people who gave me a mandate to think about the whole pie, so I'm concerned about where the money is going to come from," he said. "They don't make $10,000 comments; they make million-dollar comments and at the end of the day, there is only one bank and that's the taxpayers."
Henry plans on attending local candidates' debates to ask questions about the costs of implementing platforms, but he said voters shouldn't take that as an indication that he is for or against any particular candidate.
He's staying out of it.
"I'll be asking questions as a regular resident of the city," he said.
Putting aside a partisan past
In November, former Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino won a hotly contested byelection in Vaughan by about 1,000 votes. The riding had been held by Maurizio Bevilacqua for 22 years, but the long-time Liberal gave up his seat to run for the mayor's office.
With another close race likely in the cards, Bevilacqua knows his support could influence the race, but he's not going to give it to any one candidate.
Instead, he is speaking publicly about issues that matter to Vaughan, like taxation and infrastructure.
"In my case, people know I was a Liberal MP, so they understand my philosophy and ideology, but they also appreciate the fact that I am a citizen that is the mayor now and needs to work with anybody and everybody that gets elected," he said. "It is an understandable position."
Ford keeps quiet
Meanwhile, in Toronto, Mayor Rob Ford is keeping quiet, even though he swept to victory on his ultra conservative platform of cutting taxes and ending big spending at city hall.
His father Douglas Ford was a MPP in Mike Harris's Tory government and he counts Conservative Finance Minister Jim Flaherty among his closest friends.
Good luck trying to get him to talk federal politics though. He is staying out of the campaign. The only comments he has made publicly have been in favor of Flaherty in the riding of Whitby-Oshawa. Flaherty endorsed Ford during his run for mayor.
Ford was not made available for an interview.
"He is not going to get involved directly into the campaign for the simple fact that he wants to work with whomever is elected," Ford's press secretary, Adrienne Batra, said.
Ford's not even going to identify the key ballot issues that affect Toronto, she added.
"Mayor Ford has made his position very clear on a lot of issues," Batra explained. "I don't think there is any question on what he would like to see from any level of government."
So what's the right approach?
Is Toronto missing out on an opportunity to advance the city's agenda?
Wiseman says it's better to be safe than sorry.
"You could be rewarded, but is it really worth the risk?" he said.
