QUESTION PERIOD — Natural Resources
Wildfire Management
June 5, 2025
Senator Gold, in August 2021, during a campaign stop in British Columbia, former Prime Minister Trudeau promised that a re-elected Liberal government would spend $500 million to train and equip 1,000 new firefighters across the country. The funds, he said, would also be used to acquire vital equipment like water bombers and helicopters, essential tools in fighting the increasingly devastating wildfires we see every summer.
We are now four years removed from that announcement. Thousands of Canadians have been displaced, communities have burned and the toll on our environment and economy continues to grow.
Senator Gold, can you tell this chamber exactly how many of those promised 1,000 firefighters have been hired and trained and how many helicopters and water bombers have been purchased by this government since this commitment in 2021?
Thank you for reminding us, if indeed we needed reminding, of the devastation wildfires are wreaking on so many communities in so many of our provinces. The government is exceptionally grateful to all the firefighters and supports that have been mobilized across this country — and, if my understanding is correct, from beyond our borders — to assist in this important, life-saving work.
This government will continue to work with partners in the provinces and territories and in Indigenous communities to create circumstances to both help those in need and, one hopes, to build greater resilience so that we can minimize the risk of these devastating fires in the future.
That’s not an answer at all.
Canadians need results. If the full $500 million has not been spent as promised, can you provide a clear breakdown of how much has been spent to date and explain what has caused the delay in delivering these urgently needed firefighting resources?
It’s an important question in terms of how we are going to increase our capacity to fight these climate-related disasters, and I will certainly raise this question with the minister.
