Alienation top of mind as western mayors meet with Trudeau in Ottawa

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart was in Ottawa today meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as was Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, with western alienation front and centre in the talks.

The Liberals didn’t win any seats in Alberta and Saskatchewan, so with neither province represented at the cabinet table, Trudeau is reaching out to leaders of other levels of government in the West as he plans the next session of Parliament.

Both mayors chatted about their needs and how best for the federal government to address the frustrations and concerns in their communities.

Alberta and the energy industry have been fiercely opposed to a pair of laws that ban oil tanker traffic off the B.C. coast and set strict new environmental assessments for major infrastructure projects.

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But in his one-on-one with Nenshi, Trudeau indicated he’s open to improving the laws, something he alluded to at the start of the meeting.

“Make sure that we’re growing the economy in ways that works for everyone,” Trudeau said.

Nenshi says he’ll continue to push for changes and doesn’t care if it’s legislative or regulatory.

Stewart focused his discussions on transit and the opioid crisis, and vented about all the talk of western alienation and separation coming from Alberta, saying: “Get over yourselves.”

Stewart has been meeting with the new transit minister about his city’s transit needs, and says he’s hoping to meet with the new health minister on the opioid crisis soon.

Extremely grateful to Minister @cathmckenna for meeting with me on the first morning in her new ministerial role. Totally agree that transit investment is one of best ways to combat climate change. Looking forward to building more transit together. #cdnpoli #bcpoli #vanpoli pic.twitter.com/7ObjdOCPtn

— Kennedy Stewart (@kennedystewart) November 21, 2019

“We have an application right now in front of Health Canada that we’re waiting to see if we get funding for,” he said on Thursday. “I’m trying to set up a meeting with the new health minister, which I hope will come very quickly, because I know that she is a harm reduction expert and I’m so excited about her appointment as health minister.”

Stewart says Trudeau wants to work together on solutions to Vancouver’s opioid crisis.

“It’s a $6 million proposal to allow the distribution of diacetylmorphine. Hopefully we’ll get that funding, if not we’ll come back and try to get other funding,” he said. “I think the prime minister is gripped with one person a day dying in Vancouver, and this is a problem that is spreading right across the country. I think he’s gripped by this and open to having conversations, looking to us for lead with healthcare professionals to try to figure the best solutions to these problems. I’m very encouraged by that and grateful.”

Congrats to @PattyHajdu on being appointed Minister of Health! We need bold action to help deal with the opioid overdose crisis and I know Vancouver can count on you to help implement safe supply to save lives. #cdnpoli #vanpoli

— Kennedy Stewart (@kennedystewart) November 20, 2019

The energy discussions happening with Alberta and B.C. are vital to this minority government, as Trudeau tries to plot a course with his new cabinet that will strike the right balance between tackling climate change and also pushing forward with the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Addressing western alienation will likely be one of the priorities for the cabinet when it sits down Thursday for its first meeting after Wednesday’s swearing in.

With files from the Canadian Press