Portage la Prairie city councillor Joe Masi says this week’s throne speech offers a promising roadmap for Canada’s future, but the real progress will depend on how well all levels of government work together.
Speaking from Ottawa at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) annual conference, Masi, who also chairs FCM’s Election Readiness Working Group, says the federal government’s plans for housing, infrastructure, and public safety are in step with the needs of local communities.
King Charles delivers first throne speech in decades
On Tuesday, May 27, King Charles became the first reigning monarch in nearly 50 years to deliver the speech from the throne in Canada, marking the official start of a new parliamentary session. Seated beside Queen Camilla in the new Senate throne, the King reaffirmed Canada's sovereignty and highlighted the nation’s “unprecedented” challenges.
Masi says the speech struck the right tone.
“It's clearly a thrilling speech that's really wanting to look at building, whether it be housing, building infrastructure, trying to really bring economic development to our communities and to our country,” he says.
National priorities reflect local needs
Masi notes that many of the themes heard during the federal election campaign were reinforced in the speech.
“From a municipal perspective, there were things in there we heard during the campaign and sort of now have been reiterated in the throne speech,” he continues.
He adds that municipalities like Portage la Prairie are already moving on several fronts the federal government wants to prioritize, including housing approvals, community safety, and economic development.
FCM calls for prosperity partnership
FCM is advocating for a new National Prosperity Partnership, an initiative that would align housing and infrastructure goals across all orders of government.
Masi says Portage is ready to deliver, but can’t do it alone.
“We are doing things like the community safety officer as a city,” he remarks. “We're doing that on our own to make our community safer.”
He also points to the city’s water treatment plant expansion and other infrastructure projects that require federal funding support.
“We can't grow our city if we don't have the financial tools and support,” Masi adds.
Housing success hinges on infrastructure
Masi says Portage has a good track record of working with developers and approving housing projects quickly. The challenge now is making sure those homes can be properly serviced.
“You can build houses, but if you don't have a toilet in the house and the infrastructure with it, it's really not a house yet,” he says. “It's not a home, it's still just a building.”
He hopes Portage will benefit from the federal government’s $2-billion Housing Infrastructure Fund, which is expected to roll out in the coming months.
Conference timing boosts advocacy efforts
With the FCM conference underway just days after the throne speech, Masi says it’s the perfect time to keep the momentum going.
“We're really launching here a lot of the things that came out of the of the election,” he mentions. “We’ve invited sort of the leaders of the parties to come and speak to us.”
Masi is also meeting with Canada’s new Secretary of State for Rural Development to discuss ways to strengthen economic growth in smaller centres.
“We as a city will be a good partner to the federal government if we have those programs in place,” he says. “If they help us… I think we'll get economic activity increase, we'll get better roads, we'll have a safer community.”
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