"For the third consecutive year, municipal leaders sat down today with Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial infrastructure ministers. This meeting reflects what Canadians want to see more of: orders of government working together to build tomorrow’s Canada.

“At last year’s meeting, we shaped the design and roll-out of the largest federal infrastructure investment Canadians have seen in a generation. Since then, provinces and territories have been finalizing bilateral agreements with Ottawa that empower local governments with tools to move projects forward. Today, we discussed what needs to happen next to ensure the transformational outcomes that Canadians expect in communities nationwide.

“Strong collaboration among orders of government is vital. Federal investments rely on provincial-territorial intake processes to get local projects moving, and we discussed engaging municipalities from the outset to get this right. With processes that work, we’ll be ready to deliver the next wave of public transit expansions. We’ll be ready to upgrade water, wastewater and road systems in communities of all sizes. We’ll be ready to scale up green innovation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt our communities to the effects of a changing climate.

“Important conversations are underway in this country about how orders of government work together. Today was a positive step forward as we grow our relationship to better serve Canadians, and I thank Minister Champagne and our provincial-territorial colleagues for a productive dialogue. We focused on how to make the most of commitments on the table, but we also discussed new opportunities that we can seize together.

“Local solutions are the key to many national, provincial and territorial challenges. As the order of government closest to people’s lives, municipalities bring an approach that is informed, collaborative and focused on real outcomes. Local governments will continue engaging regionally through our provincial and territorial municipal associations, and federally through FCM—to achieve the transformative progress Canadians deserve.”

Vicki-May Hamm is President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and Mayor of the City of Magog, QC. FCM is the national voice of local government, with nearly 2,000 members representing more than 90 per cent of Canada’s population.

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