Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson pleased with Liberal success in nation's capital

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson says he's looking forward to a more positive relationship with the federal government after last night's Liberal success in the city, adding it was "always a struggle" to deal with the Tories.

"I'm very pleased with the results, but pleased not just for the city of Ottawa but for the people of Ottawa. I think people wanted change, they wanted a government that was more responsive to concerns about our nation's capital, and they spoke very loudly yesterday," Watsontold Robyn Bresnahan, host ofCBC Radio'sOttawa Morning,on Tuesday.

The nation's capital relies on the federal government more than any other city in Canada, Watson said, and so he scheduled debates with candidates during the campaign and pushed candidates to make commitmentson issues important to him, such as transit and LRT, affordable housing, daycare and Canada's 150th birthday celebrations in 2017.

"It was a struggle and a challenge to deal with [the Conservatives] on the most basic of basic files and I'm looking forward to a much more co-operative approach with the new government," Watson said.

• Listen to the full interview with Watson here.

"At the end of the day they came to the table but they were always the last to the table," he said, adding that while he has a good rapport with Pierre Poilievre the only Conservative candidate to win in Ottawa's eight ridings last night he had a more strained relationship with John Baird, who resigned hisseat before the election.

"At the end of the day they did come through on [the Ottawa River Action Plan], they did come through on LRT, but as I said it was always a struggle and I think there's going to be a much more positive relationship that we will have with all three orders of government. We won't always get along, but ... there are some really great new MPs to deal with and I look forward to working with them."

New incoming MPs tout local plans

One of those new MPs is Catherine McKenna, who unseated three-time NDP incumbent Paul Dewarin Ottawa Centre. McKenna unveiled 10 local policy announcements during her campaign.

"Everything from fighting for more affordable housing, to restoring respect for public servants, to better and safer pathways. So I've got a huge amount of work to be done, and I think there's a lot we can do in Ottawa Centre to make it better," she said.

McKenna also vowed to revisit the unpopular Conservative plan to place a memorial to victims of communism beside the Supreme Court of Canada on Wellington Street.

"There has to be much better consultation on this, and we believe that the spot, right beside the Supreme Court, should be reserved for a federal court building," she said.

The Liberals have promised to uphold the federal government's share of funding for the second phase of Ottawa's light rail project, estimated at $1billion.

Orleans MP-electAndrew Leslie has said he'll mine a Liberal infrastructurefund to cover a $160-million extension to Trim Road, even though the city had asked the province to foot that bill.

The city also wants the federal government will pay for another $155-million link to the Ottawa International Airport.

Both Watson and Gatineau MayorMaxime Pedneaud-Jobinhave demanded seats on the board of the National Capital Commissiona change that would require altering the federal act governing the NCC.

Local Liberals have been receptive to the idea, but in a letter to the mayor last month Liberal leader Justin Trudeaucommitted only to "working in partnership with local municipalities" to ensure "sufficient representation" on the board.