Ottawa should consider permanent workforce to tackle natural disasters, committee says
Defence committee says Ottawa and the provinces have to treat the army as a 'last resort'
A House of Commons committee is calling on the federal government to consider creating a permanent disaster management workforce that can be mobilized quickly in the event of wildfires, hurricanes and other natural calamities.
But the new report by the parliamentary defence committee, quietly tabled on Wednesday after more than two years of study, is vague on what that force should look like and what its mandate should be.
The report stops short of suggesting the creation of a full-fledged federal disaster management agency like the United States' Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Instead, the four-party committee seems to suggest — among the 16 recommendations in its report — that Ottawa simply take a more active role in coordinating and (in some cases) backstopping provinces and municipalities, which take the lead when natural disasters strike.
The study was launched to address the strain the escalating number of climate-related emergencies has placed on the Canadian Armed Forces.
Through 18 months of testimony, the committee heard how provinces experiencing natural disasters are increasingly turning to the federal government to plead for military assistance. Instead of being the force of last resort, the army is often the first call for overwhelmed provincial governments.
Conservative members of the committee, in a supplementary to the main report, sought to deliver a stronger message.
"It is imperative that provinces and territories invest more in their own emergency management, disaster mitigation and response assistance," said Conservative MPs James Bezan, Cheryl Gallant, Pat Kelly and Dean Allison.
Indicating how contentious the committee's report was, the other two opposition parties filed their own supplementary findings.
The NDP said the defence committee should have been more forceful in its language on climate change, which is at the root of many domestic emergencies. The Bloc Quebecois said that the committee report "fails to fully grasp the urgency of enhancing local disaster mitigation capabilities."
The committee was told by top national security officials and military leaders that successive federal governments have relied too much on the military to handle crises at home.
The military spent a record-setting 141 days on domestic operations last year, which took away from training and exhausted troops who were supposed to be available for overseas deployments.
In its recommendations, the committee said Ottawa must "work with provinces and territories to invest in their emergency management, disaster mitigation and response assistance to ensure they only rely on the Canadian Armed Forces as a last resort."
Throughout the months of hearings, the committee heard repeated calls for provinces to invest more in disaster response and management.
"In the context of this responsibility, the committee recognizes that a review of provincial and territorial governments' current reliance on the CAF's assistance whenever climate-related disasters affect their regions should be undertaken," the report said.
"The goal should be ensuring that all civilian options are exhausted before the CAF's assistance is requested."
The committee's report also proposes a national inventory of equipment and personnel that can be used in disaster response.
It also recommends the federal government study the establishment of "a civilian corps of engineers within the Canadian Armed Forces, with a structure and mission similar to the United States Army Corps of Engineers."
In the U.S., the corps of engineers is responsible on the civilian side for navigation, flood and storm damage protection, and aquatic ecosystem restoration, including the construction, operation and maintenance of dams and canals.
Federal officials said last spring they are preparing for another "explosive" wildfire season because of a warmer-than-normal winter, which left little snow on the ground and aggravated droughts in several regions. The government said it plans to train extra firefighters.
Wildfires consumed 15 million hectares of forest in Canada last year, making 2023 the worst year for wildfires in Canada's history.
The defence committee also recommended Ottawa look at buying or leasing additional equipment to backstop the provinces, including water bombers.
The committee's recommendations are likely to come as a disappointment to the experts who called for a bolder federal government approach.
But there was no consensus among the many witnesses who testified before the committee. Some called for the creation of a federally managed and financed Canadian Civil Protection Agency, which would have civilian volunteer units spread across the country.
Others suggested that the military should completely absorb the task and create — with additional resources — dedicated units that would handle domestic emergency operations.
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