Do Canadian Municipalities Have a Hidden Ideological Pulse?
Alexandra Artiles (Boise State University)
Are Canadian municipal politics simply about fixing potholes and managing traffic, or does ideology shape municipal behavior more deeply? In contrast to the U.S. and several other federations, Canadian municipal elections are overwhelmingly non-partisan. Fewer than one in five municipal officials run on party slates. This fact leads many to infer that Canadian city halls are free from the left-right ideological divide that exists at higher levels of government.
Yet, in a novel survey experiment of over 700 mayors and city councilors across Canada, I show that ideology matters. Namely, ideology shapes how municipal officials respond to policy interventions from their provincial governments—specifically when municipal politicians feel their autonomy is threatened by provinces that do not share their own ideology.
In the experiment, respondents were asked to imagine a scenario in which a newly elected provincial government plans to impose environmental regulations that override local laws. Based on their self-reported ideology, respondents were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first treatment group was told the province was led by a party that matched their ideology; the second was told that the province was led by a party that did not share their ideology. The control group was not given any information about the provincial government’s ideology.
Respondents were then asked the extent to which they supported or opposed the provincial policy intervention. Respondents were also asked whether the province should consult with – or seek consent from – their municipality before acting. I found that respondents in the out-party treatment were 14% more opposed to provincial intervention than respondents in the control group. Respondents in the out-party treatment were also 4% more supportive of consultation – and 6% more supportive of required consent – than respondents in the control group.
However, respondents in the in-party treatment did not express significantly different reactions to provincial intervention than the control group. In other words, municipal politicians appeared neutral about provincial overreach—unless it came from across the political aisle.
The results of the experiment remained significant when accounting for political experience, political ambition, and population size. Moreover, the treatment effects grew stronger when controlling for respondents’ pre-existing views on environmental regulations, suggesting that this was not merely a story about policy substance—it was also about political identity.
This research contributes to a long-standing debate about whether Canadian local politics are purely pragmatic or managerial. It shows that ideology – left vs. right – affects how local officials see their relationship with higher levels of government. Even without party labels, mayors and councilors are willing to bring politics to work when local autonomy is on the line. At a time when political polarization is on the rise, this study suggests that city halls are not immune.
This study raises important questions: if ideology is already shaping municipal politics, should Canadian cities adopt more transparent party systems, like those used in other federal systems? Would party labels help voters make better-informed choices in low-information local elections?
Dr. Alexandra Artiles is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Boise State University and a former Fulbright Scholar at the University of Ottawa. Her research focuses on public policy, state and local politics, and women's representation.