Regional Councillor and First Vice-President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Clark Somerville, joined over 100 elected municipal leaders in Ottawa last week for a meeting of FCM's Board of Directors. The meeting focused on strengthening the capacity of municipal leaders to engage constructively with their federal counterparts. The highlight of this effort was the presentation of FCM's action plan to key federal cabinet ministers.
In a series of face-to-face meetings with the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and the Minster of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the senior leadership of FCM which includes Councillor Somerville, presented a detailed plan titled Cities and Communities, Partners in Canada's Future.
"FCM's plan lays out a course of action for working with the municipal sector to drive growth, create jobs and improve the quality of life for all Canadians," said Councillor Somerville. "The plan also outlines the critical steps that need to be taken in the first 100 days of Parliament to achieve results that will be felt by Canadians in municipalities across the Country."
In the coming weeks, FCM will deliver the action plan to all federal ministers, including the Prime Minister, reiterating the importance of working with municipalities as equal partners to implement key strategies to strengthen our communities.
I am very encouraged by the willingness of the new federal government to work in partnership with municipalities. By working together with all orders of government, we can ensure that municipalities like Halton Region can find long-term solutions to the pressing issues facing our communities.
Halton Region continues to advocate to the Provincial and Federal governments for long-term, predictable funding and legislative amendments on a number of issues facing the Region through its Advocating for a Strong Halton campaign. To learn more visit halton.ca/advocacy.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is the national voice of municipal government. In leading the municipal movement, FCM works to align federal and local priorities, recognizing that strong hometowns make for a strong Canada.