Senate committee report calls for national wildfire agency as fires become more ‘catastrophic’

Senators are calling on the federal government to create a national wildfire agency and firefighting fleet to tackle what a new Senate committee report is calling an “escalating" national crisis.

“In this era of climate-driven mega fires, we must do far more to protect Canadians,” said Canadian Senators Group Senator Mary Robinson (Prince Edward Island), the chair of the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee, at a press conference on June 10 about an hour after tabling the committee’s report on wildfires. 

“Wildfires are an escalating national crisis," said Robinson. "They are growing in size, frequency, and severity. Their behaviour is evolving faster than our systems can handle, and with each passing season, the consequences for our communities, businesses and landscapes become more catastrophic.” 

The committee’s report is the result of testimony from 79 witnesses and 23 stakeholder briefs heard from April 2024 to late last year. Among the 15 recommendations include creating a national wildfire mapping project to predict fire likelihood, a reforestation policy following disasters, a national fleet of firefighting aircraft, and a federal co-ordinating office for wildfires, as well as other emergencies.

Independent Senators Group (ISG) Senator John McNair (New Brunswick), the committee's deputy chair, said that with wildfires being a shared jurisdiction, the committee learned all levels of government have been “working in silos,” making collaboration “challenging at the best of times.” 

When a fire first breaks out, he said, it is managed at the local level, and if it grows out of their control, assistance is requested from the province or territory. If the fire exceeds the province’s capabilities, only then can the feds get involved, if their aid is requested. 

“Each escalation and application for assistance also takes precious time at a critical moment when the rapid response is most required,” McNair said. 

“We heard consistently that there is a need for a single point of contact to improve collaboration and break down asylums.” 

Currently, the federal government does not have a national firefighting crew, so assistance is often deployed through the Canadian Armed Forces. 

In May, Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski (Edmonton Centre, Alta.) announced the feds would be leasing 10 new firefighting aircraft, pre-positioned across the country based on predicted need, starting this month. Provinces and territories will be able to request those aircraft through the Canadian Interagency Forest Firefighting Center (CIFFC), an organization that assists with the movement of resources across the country for wildfire response.

But Mike Flannigan, a natural resources professor at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., said that those aircraft were already in Canada, it’s just that the feds are now the ones leasing them and footing the bill. 

“We do not have enough resources,” he stressed. “Leasing 10 existing aircraft doesn't change the fact we don't have additional resources.”

Flannigan said that purchasing 10 new aircraft and having 20 to 25 crews of 20 trained firefighters available for rapid deployment would be "a good start."

He wants to see Canada create a national emergency agency, similar to the United States’ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

“I see a FEMA-type agency being a conduit to have those additional resources,” Flannigan said. “The challenge here is you have to provide the resources—ideally proactively—make them available, but at the disposal of the local or the regional or the provincial territorial responsibility.”

In a statement to The Hill Times responding to the report, Olszewski’s office said that it will review the committee’s recommendations “carefully.” 

The statement reads that as wildfire seasons become more complex, co-ordination across jurisdictions is a “top priority,” and the federal government “works closely with” provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, and organizations. 

“While there is always room for improvement, governments and partners across Canada are working together every day to protect communities and improve our collective wildfire response capacity,” the office wrote.

In response to a question about preparedness, the office pointed to the 10 aircraft the government is leasing, and said they are currently reviewing feedback received through a national engagement process on emergency management.

There's 'nothing that allows for the co-ordination' of municipal resources: fire chief

The Senate's report is not the first time a national emergency response agency has been proposed. In fact, Canada is the only G7 country that does not have a national office responsible for wildfire responses—something that was highlighted by Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs President Ken McMullen on June 10. 

McMullen pointed to the CIFFC as an example of the current gaps in co-ordination. 

“There’s … perhaps sometimes a misinterpretation that [CIFFC] also does co-ordination of municipal firefighters,” he said. “We’re missing that.”

“There is nothing that allows for the co-ordination at the current level, at the federal level, for municipal assets across the country.”

In 2023, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau indicated that his government was considering creating a national agency, saying that the feds would “continue to discuss and look at new mechanisms and new ways” to “predict, protect, and act ahead” of emergency events, when asked by a reporter about the prospect.

And last year, ISG Senator David Arnot called for a national emergency response agency, similar to FEMA, as his home province of Saskatchewan grappled with out of control fires, forcing residents to evacuate. 

Speaking to The Hill Times after the press conference, Robinson also highlighted that Canada is the only G7 country to lack a “seat at the federal table” to discuss fires. 

“We need the top to be paying attention to this,” she said, “so that we can better co-ordinate across the board.”

Flannigan explained that under the current system where provinces and territories control their own crew, sending them to assist one another as needed, there is “a bit of game theory” around sending aid, which would be solved by a national agency.

“You want to help your neighbour, but you have to protect your home territory first,” he said. 

“Whereas, if you're [federal], everything's your home territory, so you don't have that problem of saying, ‘well, I'd like to help, but I gotta keep some in reserve.’”

According to CIFFC, as of June 10, there are currently 99 active fires burning in Canada, with 42 classified as out of control.

But Flannigan added that creating a national agency comes with a host of “not trivial” jurisdictional issues. 

“Alberta, perhaps Quebec, may say: ‘just give us money, but this is our jurisdiction,’” he said. 

He explained that there has already been lobbying at the federal level behind the scenes for a FEMA-type agency, but “it’s a question of budget.” The agency would also cross-cut across a number of federal departments, including the Department of National Defence (DND), he said.

But financially, DND might be the “best spot” for the agency, Flannigan said, if the feds follow through on their pledge to spend five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035, which Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) agreed to in June of last year, alongside NATO allies. 

Robinson also told The Hill Times that wildfires have an “incredibly high rate of impact” for Indigenous nations, which is something witnesses mentioned during the study. 

“A lot of these communities are having fire after fire after fire, and imagine your family being taken from your home for five or six months of the year, and being put in a place where you don’t have anything that you recognize as home,” she said. 

The report recommends that Ottawa “take immediate action” to remove barriers facing evacuees, including ensuring equitable access to housing, services, and “culturally responsible supports.” Another recommendation calls on the government to provide additional funding and logistical support for Indigenous communities. 

Last year, First Nations forced to evacuate in Manitoba after the province declared a state of emergency were moved into large evacuation centres in Winnipeg as hotels were booked up. 

“We heard testimony from people who literally left with the clothes on their back,” Robinson said. “Then they go to places where you imagine being plunked on the other side of the world. Nothing looks familiar.”  

Flannigan also said Indigenous communities are “disproportionately” affected by wildfires, as they’re located in remote and fire-prone areas.

ewand@hilltimes.com

The Hill Times