South Okanagan-West Kootenay MP Richard Cannings is calling on the federal government to change how it responds to wildfires.
Cannings successfully asked for an emergency debate on the wildfires in the House of Commons late Monday, saying there needed to be a re-evaluation of the federal role in wildfire protection and response to develop a more proactive process, instead of the present reactive one.
"We must do as much of this as possible as quickly as possible in the next few weeks before summer truly arrives," he said."
"Today, for the first time in my eight years as an MP, I woke to smoky skies in Ottawa, a sight I know only too well from my home in British Columbia, but it was a first for me here, and it is only the first week of June. We have a long and hot fire season ahead of us."
Cannings said with more than 400 fires burning currently across the country from Vancouver Island to Nova Scotia and more than 3.6 million hectares of forest have been torched, it's clear that there needs to be a re-evaluation of the federal role in wildfire protection and response.
"This has been a wildfire season like no other. The area burned so far is 10 times the annual average. How many times have we heard that over the last decade? How many summers have been described as the 'worst ever' for forest fires?" he added.
"I was listening to Dr. Mike Flannigan, a wildfire expert from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops on the radio a couple of days ago, and he made some important comments that I will be repeating here tonight. One of the most important was his comment that this weather, these fire seasons, are not the new normal. He said that we are in a downward spiral when it comes to climate change and wildfire behaviour and that our fight against climate change is a fight to keep things from getting worse and worse."
Looking forward, Cannings said the federal government needs to train and maintain crews of firefighters, along with a national stockpile of equipment that could be quickly sent to affected provinces.
He added that they need to consider the idea of creating a national firefighting service.
"This could also include a squadron of water bombers that could be deployed quickly wherever they are needed."
He said there needs to be better coordination of both resources and manpower and work between fire seasons to reshape the forest surrounding the communities so interface fires will not have the same destructive effects they have today.
"It will take a lot of effort and, quite frankly, a lot of money. The federal government can and should play a big role there," Cannings added.
"The federal government must step up to provide necessary leadership for the future."
