Alongside a well known concern about tax burden is a public concern that local governments are under-resourced for the tasks that they ought to be doing. By a margin of 3:1, Canadians feel that cities and municipalities should increase their revenues rather than cut their services. This is one finding in a series from a national survey (n=1000) conducted by COMPAS for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in late May, 2004.

A near consensus is that the additional revenues should come from federal and provincial governments rather than new user fees or hikes in property taxes.

Respondents were reminded that the Canadian constitution makes municipalities subordinate to provincial government, not the federal government, while allowing federal authorities to spend in municipal areas if they wish. Balancing these constitutional considerations, Canadians favour federal support for municipalities by a margin of 3:1—in Quebec, by almost 2.5:1.

Given the public’s desire for greater federal-provincial assistance to municipalities, one might expect strong public support for involving local governments in federal-provincial policy discussions of a national character. That is precisely what the public favours—by a margin of 4:1 in every major province or region of the country.

Respondents in the national survey back all the program missions of local government that they were asked about. Among these, the historic or traditional missions of municipalities such as roads, crime and sewage are paramount in the minds of Canadians. The public sees value, albeit marginally less, in more modern missions such as parks and facilities for children.

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