The rest of Canada needs to know not all Westerners feel alienated from Ottawa. Not by a long shot. Here in Vancouver, we want a strengthened relationship, not a divorce. We need help with housing, drug overdoses, and public transit and are ready right now to move forward together.On housing, we are stretching our city resources to the limit trying to help the now over 2200 people who are without homes – more than 600 of whom live on the street. The Liberal government brought Ottawa back into the housing game in a big way in 2017 by launching a new $55-billion national strategy. The new strategy is proving effective, but the rollout has been slow. We saw what we can accomplish together when the federal government invested $184 million in Vancouver this past August, but we must work much more closely if we are going to meet the national housing strategy's admirable goal of cutting chronic homelessness in half by 2027.Another area where we can cooperate is tackling our fentanyl crisis. One person dies of an overdose every day in Vancouver. That's one friend, neighbour, or family member. We have had a state of medical emergency in B.C. since 2016, but still thousands have died since it was declared -- almost all due to a poisoned illicit-drug supply.Federal help with providing medicines, such as naloxone, that revive patients after an overdose is very much appreciated, but we desperately need to move toward “safe supply”. Safe supply does not mean decriminalizing all drugs. Instead, it enables local health officials and peers to provide patients legal drug substitutes, like diacetylmorphine, for little or no charge. Vancouver has always led the country when it comes to providing innovative healthcare solutions for those stricken with addiction. Federal regulatory exemptions and funding will help us lead again by being the first city in Canada to bring in safe supply policies.When it comes to public transit, ridership in Metro Vancouver has increased by a staggering 20 percent since 2016. In response, local mayors have agreed on a three-phase strategy to improve our system which includes extending SkyTrain from Surrey to Langley and along Broadway to the University of British Columbia, electrifying and expanding the bus fleet, and building a gondola to better connect Simon Fraser University students to transit.The federal government was a key funding partner during the first two phases of the Mayors' Council plan. We now need a commitment to fund the rest. New investments will help reduce our congestion misery and increase productivity in the region. It will also play a big role in tackling climate change by reducing emissions from automobiles.Renewed partnership will aid in tackling these three critical issues, but it does not mean we need to agree on everything in order to work together. Like many other British Columbians, I strongly oppose the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion which endangers Vancouver's economic and environmental future. I was arrested while attempting to block the new pipeline while serving as a Member of Parliament and, as mayor, continue to fight the project in court. But despite being on opposite sides of this important issue, the Prime Minister and I manage to set aside our differences and find ways to work together to make life better for the people we serve.Unfortunately, other government leaders west of Ontario seem more interested in stoking the fires of discontent and division than looking for areas of common cause. Their my-way-or-the-highway approach to politics is appalling. In the short-term it undermines opportunities to partner with the federal government just when their residents need the most assistance. In the long-term, it could mean irreparable damage to the fabric of our country.The best thing governments of all political stripes can do is find where they agree and immediately begin to collaborate. This is my approach and, based on my direct experience, one which I believe the Prime Minister shares. Let's all get moving on making progress together on the issues that really matter.Kennedy Stewart is the Mayor of Vancouver.  He previously represented the riding of Burnaby—Douglas (2011–2015) and Burnaby South (2015–2018) in the House of Commons, as a member of the New Democratic Party caucus.