As the federal Liberal caucus retreat kicks off in London, Ont., this week, regional government and city officials are hoping local issues might become a topic of discussion during the meeting.
Starting on Tuesday at RBC Place London, the Liberal caucus welcomed MPs to the Forest City as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally departed from India following technical issues with a government aircraft, delaying his departure by two days.
The caucus comes as Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives saw a summer surge in the polls, with a recent Abacus survey placing the Tories 14 points ahead of the Liberals.
Speaking with Global News Tuesday morning, London North Centre Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos said that he’s been pushing for the retreat to be held in London for quite some time.
While few details have been released, discussion topics during the three-day retreat are set to include housing, homelessness, mental health and addictions, as well as the affordability crisis, among others.
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Additionally, Fragiskatos believes that the city’s homelessness hubs plan may also be a topic of discussion.
“I think it will certainly come up,” he said. “The prime minister, and relevant ministers, are already aware of what London is calling for with respect to the hub model in the sport of housing that is attached to it.
The collaborative hubs plan was endorsed by city councillors earlier this summer, marking the first significant portion of the Health and Homelessness Whole of Community Response to clear a major hurdle in its implementation.
As city officials wrapped up resident feedback and engagement opportunities for the plan last week, Fragiskatos said that funding from the federal government for the plan may also be a possible topic of discussion during the Liberal caucus meeting.
“I still say that there is something to the hub model that we ought to look at and try, because we do need an approach that is tailored to our specific situation,” he said.
Back in April, the Ontario government announced an additional investment of $202 million into the province’s Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) and Indigenous Supporting Housing Program (ISHP), bringing the total yearly financing close to $700 million for these programs.
That included over $21.8 million in support for the London region’s homelessness efforts.
Fragiskatos told Global News that “there will also be a need for federal funding.”
Mayor Josh Morgan confirmed to Global News that he’s already had a number of conversations with visiting ministers with respect to the city’s health and homelessness response.
“When we help that group of individuals, we take pressure off of so many other systems that are strained,” he said.
He added that from a regional scope, to have the federal Liberal caucus take place in London is a “great opportunity.”
“Not only because our city is capable of hosting events like this, but because having the prime minister and members of the caucus in town is a great opportunity for us to continue the conversations that we’re having with them about meeting the challenges we face as a city, as well as seizing the opportunities that we have,” he said.
Morgan also stressed that “London is a city that is a microcosm for the rest of Canada.”
“We have exceptional opportunities; we have high growth, but we also have challenges with housing, affordability, homelessness, mental health, addictions, and so the conversations we can have with ministers are the conversations that are reflective of the challenges that are faced across Canada in cities our size,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fragiskatos expressed similar sentiments, adding that, “This is one of the reasons that I decided to push so hard for our national caucus meeting to be in London this year, because it allows London’s priorities to be front and centre in the overall landscape.”
“This is a great place for people to, to live, work and play, but it’s also a great place for people to visit,” Morgan continued. “I hope many of the members of the caucus who are coming from other provinces and other cities get to experience our city, get to know it a little bit better, and maybe go back with a few ideas for their communities on why this is a great place to visit in this country.”
The federal Liberal caucus will run until Thursday.
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