Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wanted to be reassured: “We will get through this together”.
'Unprecedented' wildfire season raging across Canada could continue into July and even August, Ottawa projects, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says work on a plan B in the event that army resources are stretched.
Our modeling shows this could be a particularly severe wildfire season throughout the summer, Trudeau said Monday at a news conference in Ottawa where he was surrounded by six of his ministers.
Questioned as to the ability of the Canadian Armed Forces to maintain the pace of their support over the coming months, Justin Trudeau replied that he had been assured by the Chief of National Defense that, according to current projections, the resources should be sufficient.
Many ministers were present at the press conference, including the Minister of Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, who participated by videoconference.
But we are always aware that this could change, so we are preparing contingency plans, added the Prime Minister.
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“Canadians can be reassured that we will do whatever is necessary to protect them throughout the summer.
— Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
A few minutes earlier, the head of the Canadian Forest Service, Michael Norton, explained that the situation will remain largely the same in July and August. The area burned is already unprecedented and could reach record levels.
Michael Norton, however, qualified that the long-term outlook for wildfire activity is difficult to predict and that uncertainty increases as one projects into the future.
It is in Quebec that the strongest pressure is currently observed due to the multiple fires recently lit by lightning, specified Michael Norton, maps in support.
According to data recorded Sunday evening, 413 fires were active in the country, of which 249 were not under control. The situation is so dynamic that the numbers change every hour.
Huge trenches have been dug to block the progression of the flames, like here in Chapais, in northern Quebec.
So far, 120,000 people have been evacuated due to the wildfires and nearly 26,200 are being evacuated in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories , Quebec and Nova Scotia.
France, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have all offered their support for the Canadian authorities.
More than 160 forest fires were active in Quebec on Monday. They forced thousands of people from their homes in the northwest of the province over the weekend.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) has called on the Speaker of the House of Commons to hold an emergency debate on Monday evening on the forest fires taking place across the country. country. The response was still awaited by mid-afternoon.
The federal government must do more and do better, especially in planning, in training the workforce and also in providing accessibility to the equipment that is needed to fight these major wildfires. And at the moment, we realize that there are gaps, so there, there is urgency and we must take stock, explained the deputy leader of the NDP, Alexandre Boulerice.
These criticisms contrasted with comments by Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, who ensured that all levels of government are working closely together with your safety in mind and with a high degree of cooperation and collaboration.
Bill Blair, Federal Minister for Civil Protection.
Bloc Québécois House Leader Alain Therrien seemed to be on the same page. Deputies from his political party have reported to him that the link, information and actions with the various ministries seem correct, that we get on well on the ground, there is good collaboration.
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As for the emergency debate, he considers that the time is rather to literally put out the fires and save the furniture. Reflection and debate can come later, he decided.
In a scrum in parliament, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said he was open to the creation of a national squad to fight forest fires, but added that he had not made a decision on the issue. /p>
I think we need to coordinate the use of our planes and other machines to protect Canadians in an emergency like [this]. You should never have planes that are not in use because it belongs to one province when another province needs them.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Mr. Poilievre also demanded in front of reporters that the federal government abolish the price on pollution, commonly referred to as a carbon tax, a timingEnvironment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault has deemed implausible.
As Canada faces what will likely be the worst year of its history in terms of wildfires, and that we know this is in part due to climate change…the Tory leader's only response is, “let's make pollution free again;” let's do less to fight climate change,” he said.
Firefighters at work along Highway 103 during wildfires near Shelburne, Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia's largest wildfire in the province's history continued to burn in Shelburne County as firefighters managed to contain a blaze near the province. #x27;Halifax which has damaged or destroyed more than 150 homes in the suburbs.
Alberta recently ended a state of emergency that had been put in place to deal with unprecedented wildfires in that province, although officials warned that the situation remained serious.
More than 2,214 wildfires have been counted so far this year nationwide and an estimated 3.3 million hectares have burned.
