The Halifax FCM conference was an interesting one, and comes at a terribly important time in Canadian politics. The Ontario provincial election saw a dramatic change in government. What that might mean for the province’s 444 municipalities is yet to be determined. Alberta has an election soon. Canada goes to the polls next year. Several provinces have municipal elections in the next two years. It is a time of momentous change in Canadian politics, and those two years will be tumultuous.

At the exact time that delegates were gathering in Halifax, the word came thundering down from Washington about new tariffs being imposed by the United States. Speaking at the FCM opening, Prime Minister Trudeau quite properly stated his opposition and dismay at these actions, and promised to work with and defend Canadian cities affected. Regina, Hamilton and several other communities are squarely in the firing line.

The fall-out from Trump’s tirades after he left the recent G7 conference in Quebec is still resonating. As of publication of this e-magazine, there are serious cracks in the Canada-US relationship and in the trade talks. We live in very uncertain political times, and Canadian municipalities are rightly nervous.

There are two crucial points to understand: first, there are no winners in a trade war. The US can couch it in whatever smarmy terms it wants, but it is a bullying tactic that has global implications—none of them good for Canada, or indeed most of the Western world.

Consumers will pay more. Jobs are jeopardized. Our global competitiveness is threatened. And second, as almost always is the harshest of realities, it is our towns and cities that ultimately feel the impact. The impact on jobs, local economies, employment opportunities and the subsequent threats to the social structure of a community (and again, the impact on the local government and the community, health, social services and other costs it must absorb) can be devastating.

Canadian cities are very nervous about the future of the NAFTA talks, and what the implications of that could mean for regions like South-western Ontario that have already been battered cruelly by the auto sector and manufacturing cuts in recent years.

Manufacturing has gotten so sophisticated and so complex that modern industries such as the auto sector may have a car cross a border half a dozen times during its manufacture. Robots are common. Artificial Intelligence will have a greater impact than most municipalities understand yet—and it is coming sooner than city halls are ready for the onslaught. The overall impact on local jobs is significant.

Other thoughts after FCM: Don Iveson, who wrote such a thoughtful article in the April PERSPECTIVES, continues to lead the battle on social housing for the Big City Mayors. Housing was one of the main themes at the FCM conference, and it remains an important one.

The three main national political leaders must present municipalities with clear plans for their strategies to deal with civic issues, and social housing is a key area but so are other hot topics for local governments. That clarity didn’t always happen in Halifax in the three party leader’s speeches. Rhetoric is not sufficient.

There was also a very clear impatience by delegates with getting the infrastructure money rolling out. Towns and cities are desperate to address their local infrastructure needs, and the feds have been slow in partnering. Let’s get moving, Ottawa.

A final observation—there was an interesting divide amongst delegates. There were lots of older, veteran council members in attendance...but there also was a growing number of younger, female, indigenous and those with different social backgrounds represented. This is a healthy development for local government.

Finally, thank you for the many nice comments we had about PERSPECTIVES. So many of you took the time to come over the Municipal Information Network booth and say how much you’re enjoying the articles and commentary. Thank you. And remember, we welcome ideas and articles from you and your municipality. Just email us at: perspectives@municipalinfonet.com