Three members of the City of Swift Current were in Ottawa this past weekend for the annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) convention, which ran from June 1-4.

Mayor Denis Perrault, City Councillor Chris Martens, and Chief Administrative Officer Tim Marcus attended the early-June conference on behalf of the City.

The convention provides the opportunity for over 1,700 city officials to discuss issues and solutions in their respective cities, and hear key note speakers present on similar topics.

Noteable speakers at the convention included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, NDP leader Tom Mulcair, Green Party leader Elizabeth May, and the official opposition Finance Critic Gerard Deltell.

Martens says the convention certainly provided exposure to a wide variety of views on similar topics prevalent in Swift Current - which was indispensable experience.

"The biggest benefit I gained was having the chance to discuss and visit with other municipal leaders across the country - from communities that ranged from ten times our size, to one-third of our size. I could see what problems they deal with, how they relate to what we deal with, and how I can gain some ideas from them for the betterment of our community," he said.

Along with the vital experience for the first-term Councillor, Martens says the ability to represent Swift Current on a national level was a humbling one.

"I could honestly say that if you asked me a year ago, I couldn't have imagined this would have been a possibility. Getting a chance to have those discussions and really represent the community meant the world to me - it's something I don't take lightly," he said. "I got a greater appreciation for my role as a City Councillor in Swift Current and what I can do to make sure that we're moving in the right direction moving Swift Current forward."

A particular presentation at the four-day convention which struck a chord with Martens was on 'Youth in Civic Politics', as the Councillor was the youngest candidate in last October's municipal election.

"It was a really good conversation about how to get youth involved, how to get them asking questions and excited about municipal politics, and how to get more of us potentially putting our names out there as a candidate next election."

As Martens, Mayor Perrault, and CAO Tim Marcus look to implement and discuss ideas from the convention in council and the community, Martens says one important key to strengthening the community is being involved in it.

"The more people that are interested in the community that they live in, the better. That way, you have committed people that want to stay and want to work in the community that they're a part of."

From L to R: Mayor Denis Perrault, CAO Tim Marcus, and Councillor Chris Martens. The three were able to visit Parliament Hill in between sessions at FCM.