Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said while federal leaders have made appearances in our city, none have reached out to talk about municipal issues.
On April 16, Mayor Gondek sent a letter to the leaders of Canada’s major federal political parties, calling on them to recognize the important role Calgary – and other cities – play in driving the country’s prosperity.
Three priorities needed to be addressed by federal leaders to ensure that Canada’s major cities continue to thrive after the April 28 federal election, the mayor said. They include protecting jobs, recognizing Calgary as the country’s economic engine, and providing much-needed infrastructure funding to enable continued urban growth.
“Our infrastructure systems are under stress. We face acute labour shortages, and we’re working with very limited revenue tools like property taxes and user fees that were never meant to fund a modern, rapidly expanding city,” the mayor told reporters on Wednesday.
The mayor wanted more support for the energy industry, with policies that protect and grow the traditional sector, while promoting innovation. She encouraged whatever party forms the next government to support the movement of oil and natural gas across Canada and to the world.
“The advances we have made in the energy transition, the work that is done here in our city, and frankly, the work that’s done in our nation makes us the safest, most secure and most affordable energy supply to the world –that’s a message we should be actively sending out,” she said.
“Instead, the federal government has been doing a bit of naval gazing and imposing measures that are limiting our ability to supply energy to the world.”
She also said that federal support for the Prairie Economic Gateway is crucial for ensuring long-term prosperity for the city.
“I would expect a federal government to understand that strengthening Canada’s inland port capacity is a primary objective,” Mayor Gondek said.
While Calgary drives a substantial amount of economic activity in Canada, Mayor Gondek said no one’s opened a line of communication to sit down with her to talk about priorities.
“It seems that the federal leaders are very interested in coming and having rallies in our cities,” she said.
“I have yet to see one of them come and sit down and understand what it is that we need from them.”
Canada’s federal election is slated for April 28.
