Bill C-5 moved through parliament with lightning speed after it was introduced earlier in June but studied by committee for only two days before returning to the Commons. It now moves to the Senate for final votes and if approved, royal assent.

The legislation creates a framework to select projects of national importance that would benefit from a fast-tracked approval process. Cabinet would select the projects based on five factors — economic benefits, likelihood of success, advancing the interests of Indigenous peoples, contributing to clean growth and strengthening Canada’s autonomy, resilience and security — and in consultation with the provinces, territories and Indigenous rights holders.

The bill also removes duplicative federal standards on inter-provincial trade and recognizes provincial certifications for workers on federal projects. This means companies trading within Canada only need to meet requirements in their own respective province, and could ignore federal rules like the national energy efficiency standards. It also means workers would only need to be certified in their own province before taking part in federal projects.

“Now that C-5 is moving ahead, we just want to make sure that the local government is included,” said Tierney, who is councillor for Beacon Hill-Cyrville ward. “We support it and we think this is great, but we also have to really recognize that municipalities are part of this solution as well.”

For example, he said FCM has been “really harping on for a while” about streamlining infrastructure approvals and that he hopes this “national view” doesn’t sideline local projects and commitments.

“One that’s hitting home here when we’re talking about something of a national priority, that could be the high speed rail between Montreal and Toronto, with Ottawa being one of the stations. We think that’s a national prosperity project,” explained. “So while it’s great, and we fully support… We don’t want to forget about all the other commitments that were made.”

One project that is top of mind in Ottawa is the Eastern Bridge, which will aim to connect Ottawa and Gatineau, re-routing traffic from the downtown core. But Ottawa-Vanier MP Mona Fortier recently opposed the project, arguing that she didn’t think the chosen location was suitable, or that the plan as-is would divert trucks from downtown as expected.

There have also been concerns about the project’s price tag — estimated at $3-4 billion — and uncertainty among federal workers about proposed cuts.

“There was a feeling that money is better served [elsewhere]. And this is someone that’s in government, that is the MP that is saying that money is better served,” said Tierney. “There’s no real way to connect the Montreal highway and the Toronto highway. You have to go through the middle of Ottawa. So this is where, you know, municipalities really have a big role, especially here in Ottawa, where we see a lot of those crossovers taking place, and we need the municipal government to have some kind of voice at the table. 

“You have both the mayor of our city and the mayor of Gatineau saying, look, there’s an investment over $3 billion going ahead on a project for a tram system between Gatineau and Ottawa. That’s something that we support,” he said. “We don’t support $3.4 billion for a bridge when we just heard that there’s probably going to be some of the largest federal government cuts in history. How does that change traffic patterns? There’s a lot there, and the timing is kind of perfect for this discussion.”

With the prime minister representing an Ottawa riding, Tierney said he hopes Ottawa can have more of a voice at the Hill, including from Fortier.

“We’re simpatico with the province. We’re hoping the federal government here in Ottawa will listen to the one of the longer serving MPs, Fortier, about where we can spend some of that money and make sure some of it stays here in Ottawa.”

Advocacy for municipalities has been on Tierney’s mind as he has travelled to the United States in recent weeks, meeting with American municipalities and discussing cross-border trade. 

“That is the hot topic. You never know one day, one day the tariffs are on, one day they’re off… We’re still going to continue being the [FCM] to have that outreach, not only just to the United States, but it could extend into, you know, Britain, other partners with Canada,” he said. “And if we can educate other municipalities about the benefits of trade, that’s just another arm of FCM that we’ve been fulfilling for the last year.”

And while the House of Commons takes a step back for the summer, Tierney said he’s expected a very busy few months for municipal leaders. 

“Regardless if the House is sitting or not, for especially municipal politicians, we’re observing what’s happening south of the border, and we’re talking to all 2,000 member municipalities across the country all through the summer, because it affects everyone,” he said. “It is a real struggle. No municipal politician that I know of is going to be really taking much time off this summer.”

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FCM, a national organization representing local government that has been in operation since 1901 and work with municipalities across Canada, including cities, rural communities, Northern communities and 20 provincial and territorial municipal associations. 

This year, the annual conference in Ottawa will take place from May 29 to June 1 at the Rogers Centre and bring together more than 1,500 elected officials from across Canada.

“We’re going to have a very large contingent of people, and it’s great for the economy,” Tierney told Ottawa Compass. “Obviously, they’re going to fill up the coffers here in Ottawa, which I’m always happy about as city council here in Ottawa.

“But of course, it also gives us the opportunity to really talk about what our future is and how we want to take the next year ahead. Looking at how now, we have a new government in play, a new prime minister, and new ministers as well,” he continued. “So again, it’s a great opportunity for a front row seat and to hear the thoughts and express thoughts to a lot of those people that are in power.”

Tierney, who has been the councillor for Beacon Hill-Cyrville since 2010, has served as the City of Ottawa’s representative and board member of the FCM and was recently appointed as the new vice-president of FCM. 

He says Ottawa has a unique role in the FCM and that he has been working overtime with federal partners to work on addressing the federal election and ongoing Canada-U.S. relations.

“It’s given me a real insight into every aspect. Let’s face it, we’re in Ottawa, so we’re going to bump into people, whether it’s at a local pub or a local restaurant,” he said. “We’re always crossing paths, and we have very similar synergies.”

The FCA has sent representatives to the National League of Cities (NLC), its counterpart in the U.S., to discuss tariffs and economic and political pressures that are “hitting both sides of the border right now.”

“We’re the closest to the people. Everyone knows that, but they also know what their municipal tax bill is. People never can tell me what they pay in provincial or federal taxes,” he explained. “They have much bigger access to money, and we’re hoping always to continue that discussion. 

“Whether it’s housing, policing, infrastructure… Those are a lot of the discussion points. When you can get over 2,000 member municipalities to sing from the same song book and go in and lobby the federal Government on these issues, it’s pretty impressive.”

The Ottawa-specific priorities that Tierney expects to headline at the conference include interprovincial trade barriers, housing, infrastructure and homelessness. But he said these are also national issues that he imagines will be similar for many municipalities.

“[Homelessness] is a national emergency that requires a lot of attention, but it also requires a lot of money as well,” he said. “We want to work with the federal government on what their plan looks like, because we saw a lot of it during the campaign, and I think we have a good opportunity to really flesh out exactly what they’re talking about.”

In the past, party leaders and prime ministers have attended the conference or sent representatives; former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended last year, and former NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has made appearances at multiple conferences.

It’s a habit that Tierney said he hopes new Prime Minister Mark Carney maintains, particularly now that Carney has been elected to represent the Ottawa riding of Nepean.

“Right now, we look forward to chatting with [the federal government] and seeing what a lot of these new ministers are thinking, especially when it comes down to building a half a million new homes a year — that is a challenge,” Tierney said. “And without empowering local governments to deliver those to Canadians, it’s really going to be difficult.”

The program for the event includes workshops, regional caucus meetings, a local Indigenous artisan market, a trade show, and activities with partners like Destination Canada, Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), to name a few.

Next year, Tierney will be the president of the 2026 conference in Edmonton, a role that hasn’t been held by an Ottawa representative in an estimated 84 years.

“It’s been many years since we’ve had someone from the nation’s capital, as even a table officer or first, second or third VP. I’m privileged to be first vice-president. You know, I get to interact, and it gives me access,” he explained. “When they need me to go speak to a minister on demand or speak to a shadow minister, I literally have the opportunity to go up and speak to them. I’m very proud. 

“This is it. We’ve never seen it like this, especially with what’s happening in the States, the financial pressures we’re going to start feeling soon, and how we have to band together as a country,” Tierney continued. “You look at during COVID, and right here in Ottawa, we had the convoy. It’s been a struggle, but at the same time now, this is our opportunity to shine.”

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