Canada Votes 2025: FCM Sounds Off On The Debates

Cross Border Interview
Apr 19
2 min read

Welcome to Municipal Affairs. My name is Christopher Brown, and this is Canada Votes 2025: The Debates.

Week four of the federal campaign is behind us—and with it, the advance polls are now officially open. The race is tightening, and for voters across the country, decisions are starting to take shape.

But before ballots are cast, there was a crucial moment this week—the debates.

Over two nights, the leaders of four parties took centre stage. Liberal Leader Mark Carney. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet. And NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. They fielded tough questions in both English and French, trying to cut through the noise and connect with Canadians.

But the question we ask here today is this: Did the debate matter to municipal leaders?

Did we hear anything—anything at all that gives municipalities across this country a clearer picture of how a future federal government plans to partner with local leaders? To tackle the housing crisis, strengthen public transit, support community safety, or invest in energy transformation?

Or did the most important level of government— the government of proximity, the one closest to people’s everyday lives—get lost in the shuffle?

To break it all down, we’re joined by a powerhouse panel from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Sturgeon County Councillor Neal Comeau, who also chairs FCM’s Rural Forum. Val-Morin Mayor Donna Salvati. And Brampton Councillor Rowena Santos.

We’ll unpack what was said, what wasn’t, and what it all means for municipalities coast to coast to coast.

This is a conversation you won’t want to miss. So with that, Let’s get into it.

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