FCM: Justin Trudeau's Pitch

FCM calls for National Leaders Debate on Municipal Issues

EDMONTON, AB - Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau delivered a keynote speech to delegates today at the Annual Conference of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in Edmonton. Following the Party Leader's statement, FCM president Brad Woodside released the following statement.

"Earlier this year FCM called for a new approach, a new era of cooperation between all orders of government focused on our country's most pressing challenges: jobs, the economy and our quality of life.  It's very encouraging to see all federal parties eager to pitch their platforms to Municipal leaders. It signals they are ready to work with municipalities as partners. This is a real win for Canadians.

We welcome Mr. Trudeau's support for investments in public transit and infrastructure. We look forward to the details of his proposal for a new, dedicated revenue source for municipalities. As the details of this plan are fleshed out, we expect Mr. Trudeau to work closely with us to ensure a solution that works for all Canadians.

The housing crisis in this country needs critical attention from all orders of government and we're encouraged to hear that housing is a priority for Mr. Trudeau.  We still need to hear details on his housing strategy and again, we expect he will work with us to make sure we protect and build on the investments in affordable housing. 

These issues are critical to our economy and our quality of life. For months we've encouraged all Canadians to carefully scrutinize the platforms of the federal political parties as we head into an election.  The easiest way for Canadians to do this is through a National Leaders Debate on Municipal Issues.  We've extended this invitation to all parties, and we're delighted we now have commitments from the New Democrats, the Liberals and the Green Party."