Penhold Mayor Mike Yargeau said the “frontline governments” of municipalities are keys to Canada’s post-pandemic recovery.
Yargeau recently returned from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual Conference held in Regina June 2-5 and which drew 2,200 municipal representatives from across the country. During the conference, Yargeau was re-elected to FCM’s board of directors.
The theme of this year’s conference was “Together for Recovery.”
“After two years of working tirelessly on the frontlines to support Canadians during the pandemic, there’s still much work to do to tackle our country’s greatest challenges, like the housing crisis and protecting our communities from climate extremes,” said Yargeau in a statement.
“Municipal leaders were loud and clear in Regina. We’re eager to continue working with our federal partners to take these issues head-on because when our orders of government work together, we move this country forward.”
As an FCM board member, Yargeau will help set policy priorities that reflect the concerns of municipal governments and affiliate members.
“If we want to get this recovery moving, we need to be in touch with what is happening every day in our communities and make sure that local issues are brought to Ottawa,” he said.
“We know that our country’s recovery starts in our communities — where people live, work, and raise families — and as frontline governments, we understand the challenges people face in their daily lives.
“That makes us key to Canada’s recovery and we’re coming back home from this conference energized and eager to work with our federal and provincial partners to get the job done.”
Delegates passed resolutions calling for national action on modernizing the Canada Community Building Fund, addressing period poverty in Canada, implementing the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Committee relating to missing children and unmarked graves and streamlining support for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
Among the speakers at the four-day conference was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and a number of government ministers. The conference also included a trade show and workshops focused on crucial municipal issues such as housing affordability and rural growth.
Yargeau was one of the panelists speaking to municipal leaders from all over Canada on balancing work, life, and politics.