LEADING LIGHTS
Mayor Valérie Plante said she had a ‘very good’ first meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, with the two discussing pot legalization and her Pink Line vision.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante declared she had a “very good” first meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday — an opportunity she used to discuss the imminent legalization of marijuana as well as public transit.
Speaking to reporters at city hall afterward, Plante said she was reassured by Trudeau’s remarks on the legalization of marijuana, scheduled for July 1.
“I very much appreciated that Mr. Trudeau reiterated the importance of cities in this area, that they must be involved not only in the decision-making process, but that they can also benefit from the financial resources necessary to properly assist” with the July 1 implementation, she said.
Before the meeting, Trudeau emphasized that his government would maintain “a lot of flexibility” on the subject so that the legalization of marijuana does not represent a “burden” for Canadian municipalities.
Plante noted that the two leaders also spoke about public transit and the Pink Line métro extension proposed by her party, Projet Montréal, during the last municipal election campaign.
To build a fifth métro line, Montreal would need the help of the federal government. The mayor suggested that the funds that Ottawa wants to spend on green infrastructure in the coming years should be invested in the Pink Line.
“Mr. Trudeau does see the relevance of the Pink Line,” Plante added. “That being said, it is up to us to refine and present a more complete project.”
The prime minister left city hall quickly after the meeting, but he said the discussions went smoothly. “We had some nice conversations about the partnership between the federal, provincial and municipal levels. We continue to collaborate and it’s going well,” Trudeau said.