Mayor Brown and Prime Minister Trudeau talk Brampton’s future at FCM conference
Published May 26, 2023 at 9:25 am
Mayor Patrick Brown says he had a “collaborative” discussion with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week – a shift in tone from calling the Liberal leader “the worst Prime Minister in Canadian history” a little more than a year ago.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is holding its annual conference and trade show in Toronto this week and saw an appearance by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday.
The FCM is made up of more than 2,100 municipalities of all sizes including Brampton and other members of the Big City Mayors’ Caucus, and the event offers opportunities for elected officials to learn from one another while connecting with federal partners.
Brown had a chance to speak with the prime minister during the gathering and said they discussed the mayor’s “concerns and hopes” for Brampton’s future.
“He always takes time to meet with our Big City Mayors’ Caucus,” Brown said on Twitter of his talk with Trudeau, adding that he appreciated the prime minister’s “collaborative approach.”
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Photos from their meet-up showed the two politicians were all smiles on Thursday, but Brown has gone after Trudeau in the past, calling Trudeau “the worst Prime Minister in Canadian history” just last year.
Those comments came during Brown’s run in the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race that could have led to him squaring off against Trudeau for Canada’s highest elected office.
Brown unleashed a tirade against Trudeau in a statement on April 14, 2022, saying the PM has had “scandal after scandal, doubled our national debt, put thousands out of work, raised taxes, robbed Canadians of their freedoms, and unleashed a cost-of-living crisis that has families worried about how they’re going to make ends meet.”
The mayor ultimately lost his bid for CPC leader to Pierre Poilievre, who has also had a war of words with Brampton’s mayor.
Brown made those comments while the City was asking the feds for more than $1 billion in infrastructure investments, and the statement has since been taken down as Brown’s leadership bid website is no longer active.
The FCM represents more than 92 percent of all Canadians from coast to coast to coast and municipal leaders from across Canada assemble each year to set policy on key issues, network and develop sustainable growth.
The FCM annual conference and trade show runs until Sunday in Toronto.
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