Thank you very much.
I'm joined by our chief executive officer, Jim Knight.
As you are aware, FCM, through its members, represents about 90% of the Canadian population. I know I don't need to remind the members of this committee that cities and communities are central to Canada's prosperity and quality of life, and in these places that are so important to Canadians, municipal governments are on the front lines.
While municipal governments are committed to maintaining the well-being of their communities, they are caught in a fiscal squeeze that hampers their ability to deliver on this commitment. The root of the squeeze lies in the imbalance between the responsibilities and resources of municipal governments and the other orders of government.
One symptom that is visible in our communities is the $60-billion national municipal infrastructure deficit. The FCM's municipal members have called on the federal government to help fix this deficit and the fiscal imbalance, and we have been heard.
For more than a decade, the Government of Canada has treated the well-being of Canada's cities and communities as a national priority. The 2005 federal budget broke new ground, with the introduction of a plan to share a portion of the federal gas tax with municipal governments. The 2006 budget renewed existing infrastructure programs that have helped municipal governments deal with some of their most pressing needs. But infrastructure renewal requires a long-term investment. Ad hoc federal contributions have helped, but they have not provided the long-term solution.
In Budget 2006, the Government of Canada outlined a two-pronged consultative approach to restore the fiscal balance and deal with the infrastructure deficit. Minister Cannon is developing a plan to place federal infrastructure investments on a predictable long-term track, and Minister Flaherty will ensure that the perspectives and priorities of cities and communities are considered in discussions on the fiscal balance. We appreciate these steps and look forward to working with those ministers.
Our submission today contains five recommendations for this year's budget. They are to develop a long-term plan to eliminate the municipal infrastructure deficit; to transition to a long-term approach; to clarify roles and responsibilities; to commit to developing a national transit plan; and to create a global program for local governance. I'll highlight these briefly.
On developing a long-term plan to eliminate the municipal infrastructure deficit, we are calling on the government federally to commit, in Budget 2007, to a long-term extension of federal investments in municipal infrastructure. This national plan must take into account the effects of climate change on critical infrastructure and must make the necessary resources available to ensure that municipalities can protect the health and safety of their residents.
On transitioning to a long-term approach to help municipalities through the transition period between current arrangements and a long-term plan, we need a continuation of the current gas tax transfer, with expanded project eligibility criteria. These expanded criteria would include municipal initiatives for sport and recreational facilities, including parks and other social infrastructure. We also need to restructure the existing suite of municipally targeted application-based infrastructure programs. They should be adapted to consider the unique needs and limited capacities of extremely small rural and remote communities.
On clarifying roles and responsibilities, all governments need to work together to realign roles and responsibilities with the appropriate financial resources and begin coordinating their efforts. It is crucial that municipal governments be consulted in all areas of program and policy development that affect them, and our submission illustrates this point by looking at three crucial policy areas: security, housing, and immigration.
We are asking that Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada commit to a consultation process that includes municipal governments in national emergency preparedness planning. We are calling for a continuation of the affordable housing initiative and the residential rehabilitation assistance program. The national homelessness initiative should also be continued, and we urge the continuation of the supporting communities partnership initiative, which has been effective as well.
Immigration has brought enormous benefits to our cities and communities. The government should ensure that municipal interests and views are represented when immigration policies and programs are discussed.
Public transit plays a central role in the quality of life, environment, and economic competitiveness of our urban regions, yet Canada is the only G-8 country currently without a national transportation program. The government should commit, in Budget 2007, to the development of a permanent national transit plan by 2008-09, when the existing funding for public transit expires.
Municipalities can play an important role in advancing the Government of Canada's international policies and programs. We're asking the government to create a ten-year global program for local governance to coordinate Canada's international assistance work. The program would strengthen democracy in local governance, improve policies, and expand knowledge-sharing to help achieve the millennium development goals.
We stand before you, Mr. Chairman, as a group of assembled politicians who represent the same interests that you do. The people we represent are the same people you represent. We feel our tasks should be the same tasks as yours.
We thank you for your time.