44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 29, 2023 11:00AM
- May/29/23 2:53:10 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, thousands of Nova Scotians had to flee their homes as wildfires spread across the province.
One fire is ongoing and still not under control in the Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains areas of my riding of Halifax West. People's homes have been put at risk in the blink of an eye. The situation is so serious that Halifax regional municipality has declared a state of local emergency.
Could the Minister of Emergency Preparedness update the House on the situation on the ground and the conversations our government has been having with the province?
99 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 3:03:26 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, what I find very disturbing is that we have not heard a single word about the wildfires from the Conservative Party of Canada that are raging across the country right now. Instead of talking about the impacts—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
45 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 3:04:19 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I guess I hit a nerve with the Conservatives, because they are recognizing that they have not spoken about wildfires and the thousands of their own constituents who have been driven from their homes.
Instead of talking about the real impact and cost of climate change, they choose to talk about the fact that we have a plan and are actually fighting it because we care about Canadians, we care about their future, and there is no future for Canadians if we are not protecting their livelihoods, and their lives quite frankly, and making sure that we are fighting climate change while protecting them.
106 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 3:15:03 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, on June 19, 2019, as some members of this place will recall, we voted that we were in a climate emergency. The next day, we bought a pipeline. Now, Canada is hotter and drier; we are experiencing wildfires across this country. We have to thank our firefighters and be so grateful to them.
I know the hon. Minister of Emergency Preparedness is working very hard. Could he tell us how many provinces have wildfires right now? How much earlier in the season are we experiencing that Canada is in flames?
92 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 3:15:39 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, there are currently 179 wildfires burning in Canada, 68 of which are out of control. Those fires are in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Over 20,000 people have been evacuated from their communities, and nearly a million hectares of forest have been lost to these fires. Frankly, this season has begun weeks ahead of what we would normally anticipate. These fires are occurring at unprecedented levels.
75 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 7:41:01 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Chair, it is really appropriate for us to have a question from one of our Nova Scotia MPs about that issue, because wildfires are now burning there. They were burning in the home province of my colleague, the Associate Minister of Finance. This is more proof that we do need to act on climate, and we are.
58 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/29/23 8:12:23 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Chair, it is a pleasure to participate in today's debate in committee of the whole.
Our government is well aware that we are living in difficult times, in a difficult world.
The world is going through a difficult time, and the impacts of outside forces are affecting the lives of Canadians. A global inflation cycle is making it harder to make ends meet, with snarled supply chains and geopolitical uncertainty driving up food prices and fuel costs. Climate change continues to affect our lives and endanger our communities with heat domes, atmospheric rivers, flooding and wildfires.
On that note, I would like to thank all the first responders and everyone responsible for responding to the wildfires in my home province of Alberta. I would say to the tens of thousands of Albertans who have been displaced that the federal government continues to be part of the plan and the action to get people back to their homes.
Our industries and our communities continue to adjust to the realities of a postpandemic world. Employers are attracting new workers, and businesses are welcoming back customers.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
190 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
