The federal government should create a national transportation strategy to combat rising commute times and gridlock in Canadian cities, advocates say.

The Toronto Board of Trade stated Monday that under-investment in infrastructure is "putting Canada's long term economic growth at risk" and that congestion "continues to choke our cities."

Recent studies have found that Toronto ranked near the bottom of a list of global cities with commute times averaging 80 minutes -- 24 minutes longer than the average in Los Angeles.

"If employees and goods can't get to their destination on time, productivity will be negatively impacted," the board said in a release.

Those concerns were echoed by Berry Vrbanovic, vice president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, who said a long-term transport plan is needed to ensure that communities can fuel economic growth.

Vrbanovic, also a city councillor in Kitchener, Ont., told CTV's Power Play that long commute times in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and elsewhere are economically "unacceptable" and also have a serious impact on the quality of life of citizens.

He added that such issues are becoming "top of mind" during this election because of the growing importance "that Canada's cities and communities are playing in the country."

Though gas tax transfers have helped communities invest in transit, Vrbanovic said more needs to be done.

"We're gong to be looking to see at how all the parties are responding to that," he said, adding that the CFM will be analyzing each party's urban platform in the coming weeks.