Question Period Note: Fire Safety

• Our Government works with First Nation partners on fire prevention, protection, education, and mitigation.

• We are supporting the Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada to engage Indigenous communities to better understand their fire protection needs, deliver programing, and to determine the scope and mandate of a future National Indigenous Fire Safety Council.

• We will continue supporting community-led solutions to keep First Nation communities safe.

On reserves, fire protection is managed by the First Nation band council. Indigenous Services Canada provides funding for fire protection every year as part of the First Nation's core capital funding.

The level of funding each First Nation receives for fire protection is determined through a regionally based formula. It looks at several factors, including the number of buildings on the reserve, population, local environment and how close the reserve is to other communities.

First Nation band councils can use these funds to run their own fire departments or to contract fire protection services from nearby communities. If a First Nation decides to contract with a nearby community, it is the responsibility of the First Nation to manage that agreement. First Nations that contract with local municipalities may also have access to 9-1-1 services. First Nations may choose to use certain fire protection funding on other priorities.

In addition to formula based funding, from 2014-2015 to 2018-2019, ISC provided an average of $34 million annually in targeted funding for fire protection, including:

• $7.7 million for capital investments (fire trucks, fire halls, etc.),
• $14.4 million for operations and maintenance of assets,
• $5.3 million for firefighter training, and
• $6.6 million in additional targeted funding provided in Budgets 2016 and 2017.

Investing to support the creation of an Indigenous Fire Marshal Office

On August 16, 2019, the Minister of Indigenous Services announced Budget 2019 funding of $9.97 million over three years, starting in 2019–2020, to support the creation of an Indigenous Fire Marshal Office. The funding will support Indigenous partners in the next steps in establishing a new Indigenous Fire Marshal Office, including how the Office would be structured and governed and its mandate. An Indigenous Fire Marshal Office would promote fire safety and prevention, undertake public education, and support the use of fire safety, building codes and regular building inspections in Indigenous communities.

In May 2020 the Indigenous Fire Marshal Office Project became the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council Project.

If pressed on “Mortality and morbidity related to fire, burns and carbon monoxide poisoning among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit: Findings from the 2011 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort”

• The Government welcomes this report and the detailed information it provides on the importance of fire protection for Indigenous peoples.

• Fire protection for off-reserve Indigenous communities is provided by provinces, territories and municipalities.

• The Government is working with the Aboriginal Fire Fighters Association of Canada, and will collaborate with Indigenous partners, and fire expert organizations to develop a renewed fire protection strategy.

• Between 2015-16 and 2019-20, about $33.7 million was provided annually for fire protection services on reserve. This is in addition to core capital funding and includes $5.3 million that was provided for fire protection services training.