Question Period Note: Emergency Management and Indigenous Communities

• The Government of Canada is committed to continued dialogue and action to help support Indigenous communities prepare for, respond and recover from large-scale emergency events.
• Climate change and events such as recent flooding in British Columbia can disproportionally impact Indigenous communities due to their remote locations, close ties to the land and reliance on natural resources.
• Emergency management in Canada is recognized as a shared responsibility across all sectors of society. We are engaging with Provinces, Territories and Indigenous partners to support the timely and effective delivery of emergency management services.
• We continue to listen and learn as we work towards a more inclusive emergency management system, striving to ensure Indigenous partners are included in the decision-making processes and have an equal voice in the response.
• To enhance collective resilience and collaboration, the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada commits to establishing a dialogue with Indigenous People on Emergency Management needs.
• In partnership with First Nations communities, provincial and territorial governments and non-government organizations, Indigenous Services Canada's Emergency Management Assistance Program (EMAP) also helps communities on reserve access emergency assistance services.

The Emergency Management Strategy for Canada recognizes that many Indigenous communities are among the most vulnerable to climate change due to their remote and coastal locations, lack of access to Emergency Management (EM) services, and reliance on natural ecosystems.

The Strategy prioritizes enhancing whole-of-society collaboration and governance to strengthen resilience. As part of this work FPT governments have committed to establishing a dialogue with Indigenous peoples regarding the EM needs of their communities.

In support of this work, Public Safety will be engaging Indigenous communities on issues related to resilience to flooding through the Flood Insurance and Relocation Task Force. This engagement work will include conversations with individuals and/or groups who could speak to the needs and issues facing First Nations off-reserve, Inuit, and Métis communities, with the aim of:

1. developing a stronger understanding of the historical, social, and cultural elements that are important to consider with respect to the concepts of flood insurance and cooperative relocation, and how these may be perceived and experienced by different groups;
2. understanding their circumstances, contextual elements, and considerations with respect to accessing flood insurance for homes/residences; and
3. understanding their needs, priorities, contextual elements and considerations with respect to exploring possible options for proactive and/or post-flood cooperative relocation of homes in Canada at the highest risk of repeat flooding.

Canada’s National Risk Profile (NRP) aims to provide the country with a forward-looking strategic national risk assessment to improve our understanding of the risk posed by hazards and our current capability to address them. Indigenous communities are engaged in this process. This initiative includes:
• Using the All-Hazards Risk Assessment (AHRA) Methodology – to assess the level of risk exposure associated in a given scenario through virtual risk assessment sessions with experts from across society;
• Using the Canadian Core Capabilities List (CCCL) and a standardized Capability-Based Planning (CBP) assessment methodology to identify gaps in our current ability to address these risks; and
• Incorporating other relevant information such as: Traditional Knowledge and risk assessments into the final report.

ISC is leading a parallel engagement effort with AFN for First Nations on-reserve: the Steering Committee on First Nations Home Flood Insurance Needs.

In partnership with First Nations communities, provincial and territorial governments and non-government organizations, Indigenous Services Canada's Emergency Management Assistance Program (EMAP) helps communities on reserve access emergency assistance services.

EMAP provides funding to First Nations communities so they can build resiliency, prepare for natural hazards and respond to them using the 4 pillars of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery

EMAP aims to be: flexible, culturally sensitive, responsive to the unique strengths and customs of First Nations communities, adaptive to the evolving challenges resulting from emergency events

The program also provides funding to provinces, territories and non-government organizations to support on-reserve emergency management.

Since 2005, reimbursements from EMAP to First Nations communities have steadily increased, in some years by more than 5 times the 2005 to 2006 amount.

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