Mulcair says he would siphon money from gas tax for GTA improvements
Posted March 16, 2015 12:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair met with Toronto Mayor John Tory on Monday, saying he would siphon money from the gas tax to help improve Toronto and other major Canadian cities.
Gearing up for an election, Mulcair said his government would implement “an immediate transfer of one cent of the existing gas tax.”
“That’s $420 million of predictable funding, $90 million of which would go to the GTA,” he said.
Mulcair said his meeting with Tory was fruitful and that they are of “one mind on the importance of having the federal government become a reliable, predictable, long-term partner of Canada’s most important city.”
Mulcair said a healthy Toronto is good for Canada’s overall economy.
“Toronto represents one-fifth of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the entire country,” he said. “Issues like transit time, commuting times, the lack of availability of child care aren’t only social issues, they are important economic issues…for the whole country.”
At an NDP party rally in Toronto on Sunday, Mulcair spoke to a crowd of about 1,400, saying one of his election platforms would include creating a minister of urban affairs to focus on homelessness, social housing, transit and roadway improvement in Canadian cities.
He also vowed to create 164,000 new $15-a-day childcare spots in Toronto.
