Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Mayor Valerie Plante on Tuesday morning at Montreal City Hall in their first official rendezvous.
The talks between the prime minister and the new mayor started at 10:15 a.m. after Trudeau signed the city's guest book.
They discussed housing, transit, and cannabis regulations.
"The way we're going to deliver this servince, that we're going to regulate and control cannabis, should not be a burden on cities," said Trudeau.
Plante said she wanted to ensure that the impact of legalizing the drug is analyzed.
"I told this to Mr. Tudeau earlier but also but also the Canadian health ministers: how do we make sure with the introduction of cannabis that we get data to address, inform, reevaluate the ways we're doing things? Because it will be at the city level that we will see all the impacts," said Plante.
Following their 30-minute meeting behind closed doors the pair emerged with a to-do list with Plante saying the prime minister understood her emphasis on public transit.
“Not only is more transport a way to do social development but also economic development, so we agree on that. Now, what we were told before and we take very seriously is the importance for us as the City of Montreal to document better and to have a better case for the pink line so we can go to Ottawa and benefit from some of the financial resources available,” said Plante.
Trudeau said he wants Plante to succeed.
"For me as a Montrealer, I have a special interest in seeing that she does well. But we’re well aligned and very excited about the work we’re going to be doing together,” said Trudeau.
Meanwhile Plante is now going to lobby Quebec City for powers similar to those given to Vancouver and Toronto to combat the effect of foreign buyers on housing prices.
On Monday, Trudeau met with Giuliana Fumagalli, the new mayor of the Villeray / Saint-Michel / Park-Extension borough, as well as other elected municipal officials, to discuss the priorities of the new municipal administration at the local level.
Trudeau is the MP for Papineau, a riding in the borough.
The PM returned to Ottawa later in the day to hold talks with Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, followed by a diplomatic reception.
