Ottawa councillors divided over how to push for share of GST
Last Updated: Monday, December 3, 2007 | 5:46 PM ET
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Ottawa city councillors agree they want one cent of the federal GST to spend on bridges, roads and sewers — but on Monday, some disagreed over how to deliver that message.
Mayor Larry O'Brien posed with a majority of his 23 council colleagues on the steps of city hall as part of a national campaign by elected municipal officials from across the country called "One Cent Now."
"We're calling upon the federal government to take a leadership role in working with cities and the provinces to ensure that cities are properly funded," O'Brien said.
After the photo op, councillors held a march to Parliament Hill for a rally — but only eight of them participated, including Coun. Diane Holmes.
"Ah well … some councillors seem to be afraid of having a demonstration," she said, as she chanted with about 70 demonstrators, including NDP MP Paul Dewar, who represents Ottawa Centre. Others at the rally included the president of the Ottawa District Labour Council and members of Ecology Ottawa.
Coun. Maria McRae, who stayed at city hall, said she's not afraid to speak out on municipal issues, but she didn't think addressing municipal issues was the goal of the rally.
"It was going to be used as an opportunity to allow different political parties to try and use our presence as a way to attack … the government or other parties for what they were doing, and I'm not interested in that," she said.
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