Ottawa ready to deal directly with municipalities
Trudeau references difficult relations with conservative premiers like Ford
Ottawa is prepared to do an endrun around the provinces and deal directly with cities and town when it comes to funding municipal projects, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday.
Speaking to an audience of mayors and other municipal officials during a convention of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Quebec City, Trudeau said his government would prefer to deal with the provinces and territories. But he added in the same breath that “if they don’t want to work with us, we’ll find a way to continue to work with you,” a line that earned applause from his audience.
Trudeau’s speech was loaded with attacks on conservatives in general and carried the tone of a Liberal leader in pre-electoral campaign mode.
His attack on Ontario Premier Doug Ford was well received by his listeners, the prime minister accusing Ford of depriving municipalities of funding for purely partisan purposes. He also took a swing at newly elected Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, although he did not mention his name.
All that was left was to attack the federal conservatives, which Trudeau proceeded to do, warning of the party’s inaction on climate change, desire to reduce the size of government at all costs, bring back a fiscal policy of austerity and cut services.
Trudeau noted that his government had supported 5,000 projects during its first term, compared with 793 financed by the government of Conservative former prime minister Stephen Harper in his last term.
“My friends,” said Trudeau, “we’re just one election away from a return to the days where austerity is the only policy of the federal government.”