The President of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Mr. Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement in response to the Government of Canada’s Spring Economic Update 2026. Building a strong and sustainable Canada means investing in communities that are ready to deliver—right here, in Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities:
The Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) welcomes the Spring Economic Update 2026, which sets out a path toward a forward-looking Canada—better equipped to respond to economic and geopolitical shocks and grounded in strong, dynamic local communities.
The AMBM acknowledges the launch of the Canada Strong Fund, marking the creation of a sovereign investment fund focused on supporting strategic Canadian companies and projects. We will be watching closely in the coming months for further details regarding the fund’s implementation and eligibility criteria.
The Economic Update also places a welcome emphasis on affordability, a priority that directly affects Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities. Whether it is access to housing, reducing day-to-day living costs, or improving access to the labour market, the ability to offer affordable communities is essential to their long-term vitality.
That said, this economic update represents a missed opportunity to unlock infrastructure funding more quickly. Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities are ready to move forward and are now looking for clear signals from the federal government—particularly from Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC). As the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has noted, the federal government can accelerate homebuilding and economic growth by simplifying and speeding up infrastructure funding, notably through the Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF).
Building a Strong Canada: Investing and Delivering Where It’s Ready
In continuity with the 2025 federal budget, the Spring Economic Update 2026 reaffirms the central role of municipalities in delivering national priorities, particularly in housing, trade, and economic growth.
Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities have consistently demonstrated that they are ready to build and ready to deliver. Now that these policy directions are clearly established, the challenge is to move swiftly into action. Investments must be deployed without delay to avoid losing a construction season and postponing shovel-ready projects that are already positioned to unlock our full economic potential.
This urgency is strongly felt on the ground. According to a recent survey conducted by Probe Research on behalf of the AMBM, 71% of residents surveyed believe their municipality requires additional funding from provincial and federal governments to keep pace with the rising cost of delivering municipal services.
Municipal Infrastructure: Pillars of the Canadian Economy
Municipal infrastructure forms the backbone of the Canadian economy. Federal investments through the Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF) have clearly demonstrated their positive impact on employment, trade, and quality of life. Roads, bridges, public transit systems, water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as community and recreational facilities directly support productivity and regional competitiveness.
Yet nearly 40% of Canada’s municipal infrastructure is currently in poor condition, underscoring the urgency to act. When it comes to Canada’s priorities around housing, economic competitiveness, affordability, and security, Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities stand out as reliable partners—capable of delivering tangible results where impact is real and implementation capacity is well established.
To maximize the impact of investments and accelerate project delivery, the AMBM promotes the Municipal Maturity Model (3M) as a structured planning and decision-making tool. The 3M enables bilingual municipalities to assess their capacity and progress across key areas such as infrastructure, land-use planning, and economic development, using criteria tailored to the realities of Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs).
By strengthening municipal capacity and supporting the economic development of bilingual communities, the 3M is officially recognized by the Manitoba government as a tool for regional innovation, fostering complementarity between different orders of government in the area of official languages. It fully activates our bilingual advantage and supports the long-term prosperity of Manitoba’s Francophone and bilingual communities.
By reinforcing municipal autonomy and delivery capacity on the ground, the 3M promotes more efficient use of public funds and serves as a concrete lever to achieve federal objectives in infrastructure, housing, and economic development—while ensuring clear accountability and tangible results for residents.
Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities: At the Heart of Strategic Corridors and Economic Diversification
Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities are strategically positioned along key trade corridors linking national and international markets. This geographic advantage, combined with proven capacity to deliver projects locally, places them at the forefront of supporting Canada’s industrial strategy and strengthening supply chain resilience.
As highlighted in the Prosperity Framework for Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities, these communities are ready to welcome transformative investments and play an active role in modernizing Canada’s economy. They offer fertile ground for innovation, industrial transformation, and sustainable growth, while contributing directly to national priorities.
Bilingual municipalities also possess a distinct advantage in supporting economic diversification through their commitment to both official languages, their international outlook, and their integration into dynamic economic networks.
In this respect, the AMBM–Beauce (Québec) initiative offers a concrete illustration of the potential of interregional partnerships to drive diversification, strengthen trade ties, and support the development of sustainable industrial hubs. By investing in communities that are ready to build, Canada can accelerate the implementation of its industrial strategy while generating lasting regional economic benefits.
The AMBM stands ready to work closely with the federal government to identify and support shovel-ready municipal projects that advance national interests, strengthen Canada’s industrial strategy, and generate durable economic outcomes. Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities can leverage their strategic position, bilingual advantage, and proven delivery capacity to contribute meaningfully to Canada’s future prosperity.
Looking ahead to the 2026 federal budget, the AMBM believes the time has come for clearer federal action to fully activate Canada’s bilingual advantage—an advantage that takes on its full meaning in Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, where its economic and social benefits are already evident. In this regard, the AMBM is developing turnkey solutions to support its member municipalities.
About the AMBM
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 16 municipal governments committed to offering services in both official languages to their residents. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership also leads the AMBM Group, a consortium of three organizations with complementary mandates: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. Complementing each other, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC) and the province as a whole.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, bcdd-oceo@ambm.ca.
