Mr. Speaker, infighting within the Liberal government has prevented the Prime Minister from keeping a commitment his government made in the September throne speech.
Yesterday, mayors from across Canada met in Ottawa to seek the federal government's help in dealing with issues such as affordable housing, transportation and urban infrastructure, issues that affect every Canadian.
Put simply, there is a functional disconnect between revenues and responsibilities in Canada. Clearly the provinces and municipalities need a greater share of the existing fiscal pie. For municipal governments, that means access to new sources of funding. Canada's municipal leaders will tell us that solving these issues takes a commitment from all levels of government.
This fall the federal government committed to meet with municipalities to put in place a 10 year infrastructure program. Like many throne speech commitments, the government has backed away from that promise.
Provinces and municipalities are very important partners in this Confederation. The government should treat them as equals, not just as inconveniences.