The Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ President Bill Karsten and FCM Big City Mayors’ Caucus Chair Don Iveson issued the following statement urging Parliament’s swift ratification of the new NAFTA trade deal, the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
“Canadian municipalities play an important role in building strong relationships across borders and supporting the case for free and fair trade. Over the past several years, mayors from across the country connected with our U.S. counterparts to promote the benefits of a strong and fair economic partnership between our two countries.
Municipalities in Canada, the United States and Mexico have an important stake in the ratification of the new NAFTA agreement. We are economic engines for our countries, and the mutual benefits of a strong and fair economic partnership between all three countries are clear. Our free and fair trade partnership is critical to building globally competitive communities and a prosperous future.
During negotiations, members of FCM’s Big City Mayors Caucus travelled to Washington, D.C. to support the case for free and fair trade. And the Federation of Canadian municipalities will continue to advocate for the needs of Canadian cities and communities.
As municipal leaders, we are offering our full support to the federal government to ratify this deal and are encouraging Parliament to move swiftly, so cities, city-regions and communities can continue to benefit from the economic certainty we need to keep moving forward.
You can count on Canadian mayors and local governments across the country to continue building strong relationships across borders and we are working to make it even stronger.”
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is the national voice of local government, with nearly 2,000 members representing more than 90 per cent of Canada’s population.
FCM President Bill Karsten is a councillor for the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia.
Don Iveson is Chair of the Big City Mayors’ Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and Mayor of the City of Edmonton.
For more information please contact:
FCM Media Relations, (613) 907-6395, media@fcm.ca