Federal government announces wildfire preparedness measures

President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan highlighted efforts to bolster response capabilities for the 2024 wildfire season under the Humanitarian Workforce Program.

This initiative will test and strengthen the capabilities of non-governmental organizations to ensure they can mobilize and rapidly deploy emergency responders and relief supplies to support Canadians in times of need. The initiative will focus on the needs of at-risk communities, with an initial focus on British Columbia and Northwest Territories.

Additionally, Minister Sajjan announced the intention to work towards including the veteran-led humanitarian NGO, Team Rubicon, in the HWF program to increase the program's urgent response capacity.

To counter the growing threat of wildfires in Canada, the federal government will continue to support provinces and territories in wildfire mitigation, response, and monitoring. NRCan announced up to $1.2 million for the Canadian Interagency Forest Centre to expand the Centre's wildfire prevention and mitigation capacity.