Why local elections don't have parties | Nerds on Politics

Why don’t local Ontario elections have political parties? Federal and provincial politicians can run as candidates for the Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Green, and other parties. But city councillors, mayors, and school board trustees are on their own. They must campaign independently and run on their own platforms and values. The short answer for why there are no political parties in local elections is that election laws only allow donors to give directly to candidates and not parties. But there are other arguments for independent candidates at the municipal level. As New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia said, “there’s no Democratic or Republican way to take out the garbage”. But is there an advantage to having local candidates run under political party banners? How does this lack of partisanship impact those running for office, how the riding is represented, and who gains the power? This municipal affairs explainer gives you a glimpse into why, in Ontario, organizations are legally barred from running candidates in elections for city council and mayor. Then we discuss the pros and cons of the political party system over non-partisan candidates and whether municipal affairs like maintaining libraries and garbage disposal should be considered a liberal or conservative issue. Nerds on Politics host and TVO’s Queen’s Park journalist John Michael McGrath gives residents of Ontario and other provinces that have local governments without political parties insight into the landscape they live in and how it affects them. Stay up to date with Ontario Politics every day: https://www.tvo.org/ Follow The Agenda on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theagendatvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAgenda Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAgenda Subscribe to the Agenda on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theagenda Subscribe to TVO Media Education Group newsletters: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Get the TVO Today app: App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112 Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.tvo.tvomediaapp&pli=1