NIAGARA REGION, ON - The following statement was released today by Claude Dauphin, outgoing President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), following today's speech by The Hon. Tom Mulcair, Leader of the Official Opposition at FCM's annual conference:
"Today Mr. Mulcair was warmly received by municipal leaders who applauded his remarks and his grasp of the many national challenges including transit and housing.
Mr. Mulcair strongly supports FCM's efforts to address Canada's housing crunch. By pledging to strengthen the role of CMHC by offering low-interest federal loans to fund new rental housing construction, Mr. Mulcair has recognized the housing affordability challenges facing Canadians across the country.
He also reiterated his commitment to reinvest the expiring $1.7 billion annual long term investments back into affordable housing, an initiative widely supported by members across Canada.
Mr. Mulcair made it clear that the success of Canada's hometowns is in our national interest. We applaud his commitment to provide sufficient, long-term and predictable federal investments in infrastructure with an additional $420 million annual investment specifically dedicated to transit.
We look forward to continuing to work with Mr. Mulcair and his team to build a stronger future for Canadians."