Question Period Note: Wildland fires

2025 has been another challenging wildfire year for Canada, with the second highest cumulative area burned on record and many community evacuations across the country. The active burning season has slowed over the last couple of weeks however fire danger remains high across parts of the country over the next few months. This issue continues to be a topic of interest for many Canadians and MPs.

• 2025 has been another challenging wildfire year across Canada.
• We would like to thank all the first responders and others who have been working so hard to keep our communities and Canadians safe. I would also like to thank our international partners for their support during this season.
• The Government of Canada worked closely with provincial, and territorial partners, and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, to support Canadians throughout this active season.
• The government is continuing to deliver investments of over $800M to support wildland fire response, preparedness, prevention and mitigation and deploy Canadian Forces when needed to respond to requests for assistance from provinces and territories.

If pressed:
· The government’s $800M investment includes support for provinces and territories in acquiring firefighting equipment, training hundreds of new wildland firefighters, and expanding the FireSmart Canada program.

• Wildfires are getting worse and there is a growing imperative to transform our wildfire management approach beyond suppression and response.

• Prevention and mitigation are fundamental to how Canada is preparing for wildland fire in the future.

• That is why, with the provinces and territories, we introduced the Canadian Wildland Fire Prevention and Mitigation Strategy and developed the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter which calls for a stronger and more coordinated global approach.

• If pressed on the current status of wildland fires (As of September 11):
• Elevated fire danger is expected to remain through September in western and northern Canada, as well as parts of the Atlantic provinces. There is potential for some existing fires to continue to burn well into late fall.

o This is due largely to continued warm and dry conditions, which could not only prolong existing fires but also increase the likelihood of new ones.
o However, the number of new fires will likely taper off as daylight periods shorten, cooler nights help retain some moisture in the ground, and lighting activity slows.
• To date, international support of just under 1,600 firefighters has come to Canada from the United States, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Chile, Australia and Mexico.

If pressed on NRCan’s wildland fire programs and initiatives:
Since 2019, NRCan has made significant investments to increase wildland fire resilience through initiatives including:
o $285M for the Wildfire Resilient Future Initiative to enhance prevention and mitigation, support innovation, and establish a centre of excellence.
o $284M for the Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program to train firefighters and procure firefighting equipment.
o The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System produces daily fire maps to provide Canadians with region-specific information about current conditions.
o $169.9M for WildFireSat, which will be the world’s first satellite system for monitoring fires. The mission will be expanded to global reach with an additional investment of $68.9M.
o $51.5M to support international capacity building, acquisition of equipment, and post-fire restoration.

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