This week, Miller and Tremblay sent out an open letter to all local candidates urging them to deal with issues in three key areas for Toronto residents: a review of roles and responsibilities of the three levels of governments in Canada; the establishment of a national transit strategy; and the establishment of a source of revenue tied to the growth of the economy.
The issues are familiar ones for Miller, who has since 2006 been pressing his One Cent Now campaign with other mayors, to persuade the federal government to part with a penny of the GST for cities. And he has added a call for a ban to handgun ownership - which Toronto Council backed earlier this year in the wake of several gun-related deaths in the city.
But on Friday, after the English-language leadership debate, Miller conceded the issues had only limited visibility among the leaders.
"I watched the debate very carefully - I did see part of it a second time," he said. "The questions addressed some urban issues - and I saw some of our issues being addressed. Elizabeth May clearly and Jack Layton in a very different way called on a ban on handguns and supported arts and culture. And the Green, Liberal and NDP platforms all address environmental issues quite directly. But what I haven't heard and what I'm concerned about is a vision of how Canada will succeed in the 21st century - which is about our cities. Where is the future?"