Deputy Prime Minister Freeland and Minister Fortier meet with Big City Mayors for pre-budget consultations

Share:

Today, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, and the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance, the Honourable Mona Fortier, met virtually with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Big City Mayors’ Caucus as part of the Government of Canada’s pre-budget consultations.

Canada’s largest cities have been hit hard by COVID-19 and are delivering many of the front line services that Canadians rely on. Today’s meeting was an opportunity to listen to municipal leaders’ needs as they continue to fight this pandemic and their ideas on how Budget 2021 can best support cities and the people who call them home. The discussion focused on how the government’s growth plan can create jobs, address housing affordability, invest in projects that promote sustainable growth, and strengthen the middle class.

Attendees also discussed the government’s recent announcement of permanent and stable federal funding for public transit, which provides cities with the predictable funding they need to plan for the future.

Throughout the pandemic, the Government of Canada has worked with all orders of government to protect Canadians’ health and safety and support workers and businesses. Federal assistance for food banks, shelters, and through the Safe Restart Agreement have provided significant aid to municipalities. But more needs to be done to get through this crisis and ensure all communities are well positioned for a robust rebound. When COVID-19 is under control, the government has a plan to make smart, targeted investments to jumpstart the country’s economic recovery in communities across the country.

All Canadians are invited to share their ideas through an online questionnaire at LetsTalkBudget2021.ca, which will be available until February 19, 2021.