Senators are right: Canada needs a national wildfire agency and firefighting fleet

The federal government should establish a national wildfire agency and firefighting fleet, Senators on the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee said last week on Parliament Hill. They are absolutely right.

Calling the wildfires in Canada an escalating national crisis, Canadian Senators Group Senator Mary Robinson, chair of the committee, told reporters on June 10 shortly after her committee released a report on the issue that the government should do more to protect Canadians "in this era of climate-driven mega-fires."

The Senate report suggests creating a national wildfire mapping project to predict fires, a reforestation policy, a national fleet of firefighting aircraft, and a federal co-ordinating office for wildfires, along with other emergencies, as The Hill Times' Eleanor Wand reported in her story.

The federal government does not have a national firefighting agency, but deploys the Canadian Armed Forces when asked. It is also leasing 10 new firefighting aircraft across the country, and the provinces and territories can ask for these aircraft through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fighting Centre, which Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski announced last month.

But creating one national agency would be the best strategy to fight the 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.”

As Independent Senators Group Senator John McNair said, responsibility for fighting wildfires falls under all levels of government. Collaboration between municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government can be challenging, while escalation and application for assistance take up precious time when a rapid response is what's most required, said McNair. Fires are managed at the local level, but if they get out control, local governments request help from the province or territory. If fires exceed the province or territory's capacity, it is only then that the federal government can get involved, and if help 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."

In 2023, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau suggested the federal government was looking at creating a national agency, and last year, ISG Saskatchewan Senator David Arnot also called for a national emergency response agency as his province dealt with out-of-control wildfires.

Canada is the only G7 country without a national office responsible for wildfire responses. The federal government says co-ordination is a top priority, so it should establish one national agency for a single point of contact to improve co-ordination and to break down any barriers between levels of governments.

The Hill Times