Bill Karsten, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), issued the following statement today. FCM is the national voice of nearly 2,000 member municipalities representing more than 90 per cent of Canadians.
“On behalf of Canada’s municipal leaders, I would like to congratulate the Liberal Party of Canada for earning the tremendous privilege of forming the next federal government. As fellow elected officials, we know what an honour it is to serve Canadians every day. I’d also like to congratulate all new and returning members of Parliament and thank everyone who put their name forward.”
“Whether you’re elected to Parliament or municipal council, we all serve the same voters. That’s why FCM has worked closely with successive federal governments to build stronger cities and communities. Working together, we have made significant progress—including major steps forward on public transit, affordable housing, rural broadband and local energy efficiency. This progress is a crucial recognition that empowering the governments closest to Canadians builds better lives.
“A minority Parliament presents new challenges, but also opportunities for parties and governments to build bridges to deliver concrete results—just as Canadians expect us to do. Building on FCM’s pre-election recommendations, local governments are ready to work with the next federal government to achieve real quality-of-life outcomes in cities and communities across the country.”
“We look forward to working with this government on its plan to permanently support public transit growth, along with key commitments to tackle the rural Internet gap and to ensure infrastructure investment reaches municipalities as intended. And to build the quality of life Canadians deserve, we’ll also be engaging this Parliament on other urgent priorities. Those start with ensuring municipalities have stronger tools to renew core infrastructure and to protect Canadians from climate extremes. We’ll also need to build on the national housing strategy to make housing more affordable for more Canadians.”
“Throughout the election, FCM made it clear that strengthening the federal-municipal partnership is an essential step to building better lives. That remains true today. So we look forward to working with all members of the next federal Parliament to get even more done for Canadians.”
For more information, please contact:
FCM Media Relations, (613) 907-6395, media@fcm.ca