On Friday, Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Don Rusnak and I were thrilled to welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau back to Thunder Bay.
Friday marked the prime minister’s third visit to Thunder Bay since February 2015.
The prime minister was in town to make an announcement for public transit infrastructure and to meet with chiefs from across Northern Ontario. The prime minister visited the Thunder Bay Transit headquarters to announce that the city would be eligible for a share of the $1.5-billion in transit funding allocated to Ontario.
The prime minister reiterated the government’s new approach – an approach based on building relationships and on working with municipalities. Municipalities will now be able to determine their priorities and access funding from the federal government. The federal government will also fund up to 50% of the cost of projects, recognizing that municipalities are struggling to maintain their crumbling infrastructure. Smart investments like these help communities immediately and in the long term.
Following his announcement at the transit headquarters, the prime minister met with Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins, Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day, Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, Grand Council Chief of Treaty 3 Warren White and Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee.
It was a very open and honest dialogue to discuss issues facing Indigenous peoples in Northern Ontario. I am confident that our commitment to a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples will allow us to develop solutions through partnership and collaboration. It is important for our government to meet and listen with Indigenous peoples to continue to work more effectively to achieve our shared goal of meeting the needs of First Nations in Canada.
