NDP criticizes Ottawa's wildfire aid to First Nations
As wildfires rage across Manitoba and Saskatchewan, displacing over 26,000 people — many from northern and First Nations communities — leaders say Ottawa's response has been both delayed and inadequate.
The discussion reached a peak as NDP MP for Winnipeg Centre, Leah Gazan led an emergency debate on Tuesday in the House of Commons.
Gazan accused the federal government of failing to protect Indigenous evacuees and violating their Charter and treaty rights.
'The federal government is obligated to uphold the dignity and well-being of First Nations that are affected by these wildfires,' she said.
Gazan said First Nations leaders had told her evacuees — including children, Elders, and those with medical needs — were housed in crowded and poorly equipped facilities, creating risky and unstable situations. Families were split up and people were left without enough help in unfamiliar environments.
Delays in evacuation efforts were especially severe in Mathias Colomb First Nation, where residents were flown out by helicopter, 'six people at a time when their airstrip was closed.'
'The helicopters are too slow and too small. We need the Canadian Armed Forces to step in now. Every hour we wait puts lives at risk,' said Gordie Bear, chief of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation in a press release on May 30. 'Our community is in immediate danger. We have over 2,300 people stranded with no road access and no way out by plane.'
'The federal government is obligated to uphold the dignity and well-being of First Nations that are affected by these wildfires,' said Leah Gazan, NDP MP for Winnipeg Centre.
Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience, Eleanor Olszewski defended the response, calling it 'one of the fastest federal responses in recent memory.'
Olszewski said the military was deployed immediately after the province asked for help.
'Our government acted swiftly when called upon,' Olszewski said.
She said evacuations in remote areas took longer because 'when the landing strip could not accommodate larger planes, we had to source smaller ones, and so the evacuation was necessarily slower.'
Gazan said that the current crisis is reflective of federal inaction during extreme weather events. She pointed to the 2011 floods in Lake St. Martin First Nation, when thousands were displaced for years and many could not return home for more than a decade. The long-term displacement led to mental health issues, family separation, and exploitation — especially among women and girls.
She is concerned that the fire season arriving earlier, lasting longer and being harder to manage is 'the new normal.'
She called for a national wildfire fighting force and a Youth Climate Court to help Canada respond to extreme weather and support climate resilience.
Other MPs supported Gazan's concerns.
Lori Idlout, NDP MP for Nunavut, said climate change is making disasters like these wildfires more frequent and severe, overwhelming local and provincial responders and raising concerns about housing, space and healthcare for those fleeing the fires.
She said the debate is especially important for Nunavut, since many residents rely on Winnipeg for medical care and are now competing for resources with thousands of wildfire evacuees.
'My constituents must not fall through the cracks as Winnipeg sees a huge influx of people who require healthcare,' she said.
Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, said during the debate the department gives advance payments so communities can act quickly during emergencies without waiting to be paid back.
The Emergency Management Assistance Program covers eligible wildfire costs, including evacuation support and culturally sensitive services like mental health care, traditional food, language interpretation and child care.
Gull-Masty also pointed to the FireSmart program, which supports fire training, fuel management and vegetation clearing projects in First Nations communities.
'Preparedness is key. These supports are about building strength before disaster strikes, so that communities can mitigate the impact to the greatest extent possible. It's not only to ensure that they have the ability to respond, but that they also have the capacity to recover and thrive,' she said.
Wildfire activity remains high across Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with dry conditions and lightning sparking new blazes. Manitoba Wildfire Service reported more than 100 active fires as of June 3.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Observer
an hour ago
- National Observer
BC green lights LNG pipeline, with no need for new environmental assessment
The British Columbia government says a decade-old environmental assessment certificate remains valid for the construction of a natural gas pipeline in northern BC, in a decision opposed by the province's Green Party and environmental groups. The Environmental Assessment Office says it has determined the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline has "substantially started," fulfilling a requirement of the 2014 certificate and allowing the project to proceed without a new assessment. The original approval was for a roughly 900-kilometre pipeline between Hudson's Hope in northeastern BC and Lelu Island near Prince Rupert, the site of a liquefied natural gas processing facility that has since been cancelled. The pipeline was purchased by the Nisga'a Nation and Texas-based Western LNG last year to supply natural gas to the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG facility, a project the province says is still undergoing environmental assessment. The province says the office is also reviewing requests by the proponent to change the pipeline route, including shifting its end point to the Ksi Lisims facility and rerouting the eastern portion of the pipeline. The BC Greens say in a statement that upholding the original certificate is "reckless," prioritizing the project's American financial backers over Indigenous rights, environmental protection and community well-being. "It's outrageous that the government is allowing construction to proceed with no approved terminus, using an outdated plan, and threatening one of the province's most sensitive salmon habitats, all to serve the interests of foreign-owned fossil fuel companies," the Greens' interim leader, Jeremy Valeriote, says in the statement. "This is a betrayal of environmental stewardship, Indigenous rights, and a threat to sustained climate action in this province," Valeriote says. The pipeline is partly financed by the US private equity firm Blackstone, which the Greens described as a major Republican donor with ties to US President Donald Trump. The Greens' statement also noted that the US engineering and construction company Bechtel had been selected to construct the pipeline. Western LNG called the substantially started ruling "a significant milestone in the path toward delivering responsible, Indigenous-led energy infrastructure" in BC. Eva Clayton, president of the Nisga'a Lisims Government, says in a statement released by Western LNG that the ruling was "an important step — not just for (the pipeline), but for the Nisga'a Nation's vision of self-determination and long-term prosperity." The project is opposed by the nearby Lax Kw'alaams Band and Ts'msyen hereditary chiefs, who the Greens say claim jurisdiction over Pearse Island, the site of the proposed Ksi Lisims terminal. Gitanyow hereditary chiefs have also opposed the project based on concerns over Nass River salmon, the Greens add. Thursday's statement from the province says the Environmental Assessment Office began its review last November in order to make a determination of whether the project had been "substantially started" within the 10-year deadline. It says the office looked at construction and other activities by the proponent up to the deadline of Nov. 25, 2024, and found the condition was met. The review included a field assessment of the project, documentation from the pipeline proponent and "information from First Nations, Gitanyow hereditary chiefs, Gitxsan Wilps and members of the public," the statement says. The Greens' statement says construction activities moved ahead last summer on a portion of the pipeline's right-of-way in order to avoid expiry of the original permit. The environmental group also issued a statement calling the decision to uphold the decade-old certificate as a "slap in the face" of BC's climate plan. The decision follows the release of BC's climate accountability report, which showed the province is already set to miss its climate targets, the group says.
National Observer
an hour ago
- National Observer
Liberals poised to table bill to remove internal trade barriers
The Liberal government is poised to table landmark legislation to break down internal trade barriers and increase labour mobility within Canada. The government has put a bill on the House of Commons notice paper that could potentially be tabled as early as today. Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to break down internal trade barriers by Canada Day to create one economy — although the time left on the parliamentary calendar suggests the legislation will not gain Royal Assent by the time the House rises for the summer. It also comes just days after Carney met with the country's premiers to discuss the need to build major projects across Canada and fast-track their approval. Several other provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, have also tabled such legislation to remove interprovincial barriers to the trade of goods across the country. It comes against a backdrop of US President Donald Trump roiling the country's economy with stop-and-go tariffs in an escalating trade war — and as Carney has been engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with Trump on trade.
National Observer
3 hours ago
- National Observer
Prince Rupert gas pipeline cleared to keep environmental permit indefinitely
The Prince Rupert gas pipeline project is 'substantially started' and will keep its valid environmental certificate for the life of the pipeline, the BC Environmental Assessment Office has ruled. The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline is jointly owned by the Nisga'a Nation and Western LNG, but other First Nations and environmentalists say the decision favours corporate interests over climate commitments and Indigenous rights. Tara Marsden, sustainability director for the Gitanyow hereditary chiefs, said the decision was not unexpected, but still 'damaging and daunting.' She said the province frequently bends or breaks its own laws and regulations to accommodate PRGT, undermining the integrity of the environmental review process. 'This is absolutely not in the interests of Gitanyow and many other nations who have expressed concern,' Marsden said. 'It's going to be a significant reversal of the climate policy of this government." The BC government has legislated targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But according to critics, pursuing additional LNG and pipeline projects will undercut any progress made by adding significant new emissions that were not considered in the province's climate plans. Marsden said the government is acting without responsibility, forcing First Nations to fight in court because it doesn't respect consultation, Indigenous rights, UNDRIP or true consent — and the decision was politically and economically driven, not based on policy, law or sound science. 'This is absolutely not in the interests of Gitanyow and many other nations who have expressed concern,' Tara Marsden, sustainability director for the Gitanyow hereditary chiefs. 'It's going to be a significant reversal of the climate policy." 'This government can now do whatever it pleases with no accountability,' Marsden said. 'First Nations are left to fight for these things on the ground and in the courts.' She said the report by the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) — the agency tasked with technical review — was 'very slim,' noting that Gitanyow's own submission was likely twice as long. Janelle Lapointe, senior advisor at the David Suzuki Foundation and member of Stellat'en First Nation, said the approval casts significant doubt on the province's willingness to meet its climate targets, respect Indigenous rights and title, and even follow its own policy on determining whether a project has had a 'substantial start.' The keyword — substantial start — is critical because under BC's Environmental Assessment Act, a project's environmental certificate will expire unless enough real, physical work has been completed on the ground before a set deadline — in this case, November 25, 2024. According to the EAO report, the PRGT pipeline was considered 'substantially started' because the company cleared 42 km of pipeline route, built nine permanent bridges, upgraded or built 47 km of access roads, and set up work areas before the deadline. The company also spent about $584 million on the project since 2013. The concerns related to greenhouse gas emissions and incomplete permits were not part of the decision and was mainly based on the physical work completed on the ground. 'If PRGT was really a good project, it wouldn't need a decade-old permit, quiet approvals, and a government bending the rules to push it through,' Lapointe said. She said since the original environmental assessment certificate was issued in 2014, lands, waterways, and ecology have only become more vulnerable due to continued extraction, corporate greed, and the accelerating effects of climate change. Lapointe said the project will cross hundreds of fish-bearing streams and rivers in a watershed that her community depends on. The government is again refusing to ensure the project won't harm their ecosystems, especially salmon — a key species important to their culture and vital to the local economy, she said. 'The province has failed to address the concerns of the Indigenous nations asserting their rights to protect our territory. It sets a very dangerous precedent,' Lapointe said. She pointed out that newly passed Bill 15 and the PRGT approval highlight a troubling trend — the provincial government is making it easier for corporations to move projects forward, while making it difficult for Indigenous nations to exercise their rights and oppose developments that threaten their territories. 'Are they going to allow outdated permits from 2014 to be treated as more legitimate than the rights of sovereign nations? I am left wondering, why is our province bending over backwards to hand over critical energy infrastructure to American billionaires?' Lapointe said. Christina Smethurst, communications head at Dogwood BC, a Victoria-based non-profit, non-partisan citizen action group, said while the EAO issued the approval, there has been no clear public statement or ownership from elected government officials about the decision, with significant environmental, Indigenous rights and economic implications. "The BC NDP have abandoned any semblance of caring about climate change,' Smethurst said. "Where is the government on this? Who of our elected officials will take responsibility for making this decision?' Marsden said Gitanyow is preparing legal and other actions, and the fight to protect their lands will continue. Lapointe said they would follow Gitanyow's lead in the ongoing opposition to the pipeline. Marsden also challenged the narrative that this project would help Canada's energy independence. 'This isn't about getting out from under the thumb of Americans. It's actually about enriching people who are in Trump's inner circle,' Marsden said.
