Forest fire in Jasper: Minister insists on need to do more during heated testimony
Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault says all levels of government will need to invest more to adapt Canadian communities and prevent climate-related disasters like the devastating one this summer Jasper wildfire.
Speaking Wednesday evening to members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Resources, Guilbeault defended his government’s approach to climate change and mitigation efforts, especially in the face of attacks from conservatives and calls for Ottawa to take responsibility for a fire that destroyed nearly a third of this beloved mountain town.
“I know the Conservative Party has a problem with this, but we are facing climate impacts like we have never had before: floods, tropical storms and, of course, fires,” the minister said .
Exchanges between Guilbeault and conservative deputies often degenerated into shouting and accusations. At one point, Liberal President Francis Scarpaleggia reminded MPs: “It is not question period. »
The questions largely focused on what more the government and Parks Canada could do to prevent similar disasters.
Jasper fire spread at lightning speed and destroyed 30 percent of the townsite, including more than 300 buildings.
Guilbeault said decades of measures implemented throughout Jasper National Park to reduce wildfire risk – including a large buffer zone, prescribed burning of combustible vegetation and other efforts – have made Jasper “one of the most fire-prepared and resilient communities in Canada.”
The July fire, Parks Canada officials said Wednesday, was impossible to prevent once it grew out of control due to “extreme” conditions.
Receive national news daily
Get the day’s top news, politics, business and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
“Minister, if this is an example of preparation and success, what does failure look like? » asked Conservative MP Gérald Soroka to Guilbeault.
“We need to do more to protect ourselves, I agree with the MP on that,” Guilbeault responded, recommending larger buffer zones for at-risk communities.
MPs, however, said the government had been warned repeatedly about the danger a dangerous wildfire would pose to the town of Jasper before this summer.
Guilbeault said he began receiving briefings and having conversations with the mayor of Jasper “before the situation deteriorated” but did not provide a specific date as to when he was informed of a risk for the first time.
Parks Canada faces questions whether it could have done more to prevent the explosive spread of the fire, including mitigating the effects of the mountain pine beetle.
The federal agency says it has spent hundreds of millions of dollars since 1996 to fight the insect, including prescribed burns, and Guilbeault and has also defended the government’s efforts.
Experts told Global News They doubt that more could have been done to prevent the Jasper wildfire, noting that the main culprits were heat and drought.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Guilbeault and Parks Canada officials said they were committed to more investments and actions to remove destroyed trees and combat the insect’s impacts.
Officials also pushed back against accusations from conservationists that they were reducing or eliminating prescribed burns, saying burns remain an option for removing dead vegetation alongside mechanized removals.
— with files from Touria Izri of Global
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
