CAUCUS FOR THE CAPITAL

Since the 2015 election, Ottawa MPs have been a pretty tame bunch. Even for the few who either made cabinet or became parliamentary secretaries, federal accomplishments on behalf of this city have been relatively modest. Ottawa has been an afterthought to the governing party.

That needs to end; this IS the nation’s capital, after all. Ottawa’s freshly elected crop of MPs must double their efforts to ensure it’s treated as such.

During the federal campaign, Mayor Jim Watson sent a survey to local candidates laying out what he deems the city’s priorities. These include: a permanent federal fund for public transit; federal funding for 50 per cent of the cost of LRT Stage 3; full federal funding for the Prince of Wales pedestrian-bridge (though he doesn’t mention the new bridge promised in the 2019 federal budget); doubling gas-tax transfers and indexing them to inflation; money for affordable housing; continued financial support to accommodate refugee claimants; help dealing with guns and gangs; and federal support for the city’s climate change “adaptation projects.”

His list is premised on the hope that the federal level is willing to cough up wads of cash. That’s unlikely, even if the ruling party is not shy about deficit-spending.

So Ottawa’s MPs need to get together. They need an effective urban caucus focused on citywide issues that overlap federal jurisdiction. They need to set priorities and speak with one voice. While an individual MP talking about transit money won’t necessarily be heard, six, seven or eight of them speaking in unison will. If this means reaching across party lines through the region — gasp! — so be it. Did we elect anybody who does NOT think extending LRT is a good idea?

One priority is clear. Many voters in the Ottawa area worry about climate change; candidates across all parties told us they heard this consistently at the doors. Local MPs can’t by themselves save the planet, but they can find ways to collaborate — with each other and with the city — to lessen Ottawa’s carbon footprint and aim to make the national capital a model city in the fight against climate change.

To the prime minister-designate himself, here’s another, overdue request: Appoint as the minister responsible for the National Capital Commission an MP who knows the capital intimately. For four years, the NCC has flagged badly under ministers from Montreal; it deserves a strong local champion to inject life into its projects and exercise clout at the cabinet table. Star t with a focus on LeBreton Flats.

Congratulations on your individual victories, local MPs. Now, work together for your city.