For Immediate Distribution
October 13, 2015
Crombie Joins Canada’s Big City Mayors to call on Canadians to Vote for Cities
“Mississauga joins the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and municipal leaders from Canada’s biggest cities to urge Canadians to Vote for Cities in next week’s federal election,” Mayor Bonnie Crombie said today.
Crombie, who already cast her ballot during the advance polls, made the comments as the one week countdown begins to the 42nd federal election taking place on October 19.
The call for Canadians to “Vote for Cities” was an initiative of FCM’s Big City Mayors Caucus, of which Mayor Crombie is an active member. The Caucus represents 21 cities and a population of over 21 million people.
“The priorities of Mississauga are the priorities of the majority of Canadians”, said Crombie, who has used the federal election campaign as an opportunity to raise awareness and to press for dedicated and predictable funding for public transit and infrastructure; new efforts to ignite local economic development opportunities to attract job-creating investments; and increased support to build more affordable housing.
These three issues were also at the heart of a special Mississauga federal election television debate Mayor Crombie hosted in collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and Rogers TV Cable 10. Click here to watch the debate online.
“Canadian families are demanding an unprecedented focus on cities in this election, and that’s created clear choices on the parties’ commitments to invest in city priorities like affordable housing and transit,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, Chair of Canada’s Big City Mayors Caucus. “On October 19th, a vote for Canada’s cities is a vote to grow Canada’s economy.”
Mayor Crombie, and Canada’s big city municipal leaders, encouraged voters to consider three questions before casting their ballot:
- Where does each party stand on the three key issues facing urban voters: transit, infrastructure and housing? Party commitments on each of these issues can be found on FCM’s policy tracker.
- Has your local candidate signed the #cdnmuni commitment? The commitment is an online pledge to work on the issues cities have defined as a priority.
- Did your candidate show up at local debates held in your riding?
The push for Canadians to “Vote for Cities” comes in the final days of an extended campaign from Canada’s Big City Mayors aimed at building a new relationship between all orders of government focused on issues that drive the economy and improve quality of life for Canadian families.
Mayor Crombie concluded that, “I look forward to working with all elected officials who will put the best interests of Mississauga families first and foremost.”
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