Ottawa-Senator Rob Black is seeking approval from the Senate for a study on the growing challenge forest fires pose to the agriculture and forestry sector as well rural and Indigenous communities.

He also wants the study, to be done by the agriculture committee that he chairs, to examine what wildfires do to water systems, air quality, food security and biosecurity as well as the federal government is doing to adequately monitor and organize a response to wildfires The committee should also consider possible improvements to how the federal response to wildfires compares to international best practices.

The committee, which is already working on a report on its marathon of hearings on soil health in Canada, would aim to produce a final wildfire report by the end of 2025. With a federal election due next year, the committee would be able to publicize its findings for 180 days after the tabling of the final report. If the Senate was not sitting when the final report was completed, it would be deposited with the Clerk of the Senate, which would give it the status of an official report tabled in the Senate.

Meanwhile federal cabinet ministers held a news conference to release a forecast of weather trends for 2024 and talk about how Ottawa is preparing to deal with wildfires this year after last year’s wakeup call events.

“Climate change is causing extreme temperatures at a greater frequency than in the past, increasing the severity of heat waves and contributing to dry conditions, wildfires, and heavy precipitation risks,” the forecast said.

They also said there is a robust emergency response regime in place to deal with wildfires that encompasses all levels of government. After last year’s massive fires, a lessons-learned review was conducted.

“The government is developing the potential for civilian response capacity across jurisdictions to better leverage these capacities during and following large-scale emergency events in Canada.”

The federal government is supporting fire agencies across Canada in procuring specialized firefighting equipment through a $256 million fund and training 630 firefighters and 125 fire Guardians.

“We are supporting wildfire preparedness initiatives, including the acquisition of wildland firefighting equipment and personal protective equipment, wildfire training, and vegetation management projects in priority zones,” the ministers said.

“This winter, Canadians experienced warmer-than-normal temperatures and widespread drought conditions across the country, adding to existing drought and low-water conditions. The latest seasonal weather outlook indicates that higher-than-normal temperatures are expected for the spring and summer, boosted by El Nino weather conditions. This sets the stage for the possibility of another active wildfire season and other incidents of extreme weather. The warmer than normal winter temperatures and drier than usual conditions may result in some regions – in particular western Canada, eastern Ontario, and southern Quebec - experiencing early, above normal, fire activity this April and May.”

The federal Government Operations Centre is the lead for federal response coordination for emergency events affecting the national interest and works in close collaboration with federal organizations, non-governmental organizations and provincial emergency management partners.

This news story was prepared for National Newswatch