Question Period Note: Quebec Wildfires

To inform on the wildfire situation in Quebec.

• Floods and wildfires are the two costliest natural disasters that occur in Canada.
• This has been a historic wildfire season far surpassing any other wildfire season on record in Canada. Over 5 million hectares have burned this year in Quebec resulting in hundreds of people evacuating their homes.
• This will no doubt be the most expensive wildfire season in Canada’s history. We will be tallying these costs for months to come as the damage continues to be assessed from coast to coast to coast.
• Over 16,000 firefighters helped fight this year’s wildfires and Canada received assistance from over 5,000 international firefighters.
• The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the recovery of impacted communities. We provide financial assistance to PT governments through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA), in the event of a large-scale natural disaster where response and recovery costs exceed what individual PTs could reasonably be expected to bear on their own. Administered by Public Safety, the DFAA provides the Government of Canada with a fair and equitable means of assisting provincial and territorial governments and has contributed over $8 billion in post-disaster assistance.
• QC has submitted a request for financial assistance under the DFAA for the wildfires, and our government is working closely with provincial officials to ensure that those impacted by the event are able to recover as quickly as possible.
Responsive lines (if prompted)
• Emergencies are managed first at the local level. If municipal and local governments need assistance at the local level, they request it from the province or territory. If the emergency overwhelms PT capacity, the province or territory may seek assistance from the federal government through a Request for Federal Assistance (RFA).
• This fire season saw 18 RFAs put into place over the period of May to October, and of these, five were for Quebec. The Government Operations Centre (GOC), on behalf of the Government of Canada, is the lead for federal response coordination for emergency events and is committed to the prevention of, response to and recovery from wildfire events.
• We maintain continuous communication with our federal and provincial partners, including Indigenous communities, as well as with NGOs, as was the case in the coordination of a donation-matching program with the United Way.
 

The Government Operations Centre (GOC) is mandated, on behalf of the Government of Canada, to lead and support response coordination of events affecting the national interest. It is an interdepartmental response-focused asset of the Government of Canada working in support of deputy heads, departments and agencies at the national (strategic) whole-of-government level.
It brings all partners into a common environment to harmonize collective actions and abilities into efficient analysis and action.

Each year, in consultation with partners, the GOC completes a comprehensive risk assessment and planning process in advance of flooding and the wildland urban interface seasons. The intent is to increase federal preparedness to support provinces and territories for potential spring flooding and urban interface wildfires. The final outcomes include a national risk assessment and the Government of Canada Contingency Plan for each of these cyclical events. The objective of these Contingency Plans is to outline a coordinated structure for an integrated federal response to flooding or wildfire events, in support of the provinces and territories (PT), for regions of concern. The Contingency Plan also provides strategic guidance and orientation for planning and response personnel at the national level.

During the flooding and wildfire seasons, our government maintains continuous communication with our federal and provincial partners, including Indigenous Communities, while monitoring impacts on communities on a 24/7 basis.

Climate change is making natural disasters more severe, more frequent, more damaging and more expensive. In the past few years, the Minister of Public Safety, on behalf of the federal government, has accepted increasing numbers of Requests for Assistance (RFAs) for relief efforts from devastating events including the recent impacts from Hurricane Fiona, Atmospheric River events, and BC wildfires.

Current Situation

The current situation in Quebec is stable. There are no fires of note and no evacuations.

QC has submitted a request for financial assistance under the DFAA for the fire disaster, and our government is working closely with provincial officials to ensure that those impacted by the event are able to recover as quickly as possible.

Requests for Assistance

When a PT makes an official RFA, there is a well-established process in place for managing RFAs, through the GOC at Public Safety Canada, that includes interdepartmental consultation and coordination of all departments as required. The GOC coordinates formal RFAs from the federal government and PTs and liaises with key organizations such as the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and non-governmental organizations like the Canadian Red Cross through the Humanitarian Work force program.

When the emergency involves a First Nation (FN) community, FN leadership, depending on relevant emergency management agreements, will work in collaboration with their PTs and/or Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) or regional officials, to assess the emergency and propose a response. If a resolution is not possible at the regional level, a request for assistance may be sought.

The GOC and provincial and territorial partners maintain continuous communication and share situational awareness. The GOC will continue to monitor activities in conjunction with its partners and be prepared to respond to any requests for federal assistance.

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