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The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is launching a brand new defence job pressure to extend collaboration between cities and the federal authorities as Canada invests additional into enhancing the nation’s army capability.
“I feel everybody on this room is acutely conscious that Canada and the world are going through appreciable geopolitical shifts,” Rebecca Line, who’s the FCM’s president and in addition a Vancouver metropolis councillor, mentioned at a information convention held on the Edmonton Conference Centre on Friday.
The duty pressure is meant to deliver collectively totally different companions like RCMP detachments and chambers of commerce to assist bridge gaps in the case of municipalities providing army help.
“Instances are altering, and strengthening Canada’s defence posture is now an actual and pressing nationwide aim,” Line mentioned.
The FCM is at present assembly in Edmonton for its annual convention. The FCM is a corporation that advocates for municipal points and its membership contains nearly 2,000 municipalities.
Line and different FCM officers, a lot of whom are additionally municipal leaders, mentioned the brand new job pressure is a response to the federal authorities’s latest investments in army defence spending.
Final 12 months, the Liberal authorities put aside an extra $81.8 billion over 5 years to bolster the Canadian army.
“As Canada works in direction of dedicating 5 per cent of federal spending to defence by 2035, together with 1.5 per cent to infrastructure, it’s important that native governments are absolutely engaged in each information and supply,” Line mentioned.
“Bases are increasing, core infrastructure is underneath strain, municipal techniques are going through speedy progress and actual capability challenges, and all of this factors to the easy fact: defence readiness is constructed domestically.”
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack mentioned he believes his metropolis is uniquely positioned to be a key contributor.
“Edmonton has a important position to play in Canada’s provide chain,” he mentioned. “We’re the closest main metropolitan space to key strategic areas within the Arctic and the North, which is important for nationwide sovereignty and long-term defence functionality.
“Edmonton is a pacesetter in innovation, AI (synthetic intelligence) analysis, superior manufacturing and life sciences. Our contribution strengthens Canada’s safety, resilience and self-reliance.”
As mayors from throughout Canada meet in Edmonton for an annual convention, the main focus has turned to a nationwide subject: defence. Because the federal authorities focuses on increase Canada’s army, municipalities see a job in supporting army bases and the households of armed forces members.
The brand new job pressure might be chaired by Coun. Will Cole-Hamilton from Comox, B.C., and Coun. Conny Glenn from Kingston, Ont.
“I come to this with some lived expertise. I grew up in a army household,” Cole-Hamilton mentioned.
“Native governments are important to defence readiness, and that nationwide sovereignty is based on a bedrock of resilience on the group stage.”
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