Hello,
The size of area burned this spring by wildfires is unprecedented and higher-than-normal fire activity will continue through the summer, according to federal projections.
Natural Resources Canada released updated data and forecasts Monday showing that as of June 4, Canada has faced 2,214 fires this year and about 3.3 million hectares have burned. For context, the 10-year average over the same timeframe is 1,624 fires and 254,429 hectares burned.
The department said that if the current rate of fire activity continues, Canada could exceed the largest total of area burned that has ever been recorded.
“For this time of year, fire occurrence from coast to coast is not normal,” the department states in a briefing document. The department also said that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires, with Indigenous communities in Canada at a higher risk.
The figures and analysis were released in conjunction with a Monday news conference by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and federal ministers to discuss the projections.
The Globe and Mail’s latest coverage of the wildfires news can be read here.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
CANADA SHIPS $1.15-BILLION IN DEFENCE EQUIPMENT TO SAUDI ARABIA – Saudi Arabia, which last month reconciled with Canada after a diplomatic rupture over human-rights activists lasting nearly five years, remains this country’s most important customer for Canadian-made military goods after the United States, according to a new report. Story by The Globe’s Steven Chase here.
SOLOMON ISLANDS SEEKS CANADIAN INVESTMENT – Two critics of China’s growing influence in the South Pacific came to Ottawa this month to plead for Canada and the West to invest money in their homeland, the Solomon Islands, as a counterbalance to Beijing. Story by Steven Chase here.
STRONGER LOBBYING LAWS NEEDED, COMMISSIONER BELANGER SAYS – The lobbying watchdog says lobbying of ministers, MPs and federal officials is going unchecked and unnoticed under the current rules, and a more robust regime is needed to impose “transparency by default.” Story by The Globe’s Marie Woolf here.
FLAIR IS THE WORST FOR COMPLAINTS – CBC News reports that ultra low-cost carrier Flair is Canada’s worst airline for complaints, according to new federal data.
THIS AND THAT – ON CARBON TAXES AND BUDGET BILLS
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – The Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons is accessible here. The main item for debate in the House Monday is C-47, the budget bill. There will also be a vote on a Conservative Party motion criticizing the government’s carbon-pricing plans.
At a news conference Monday morning, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged the government to balance the budget and to freeze the federal carbon tax.
He said his party will put forward hundreds of amendments to the budget bill as a delay tactic should the government not agree with its proposals. Such a move would likely increase the odds that the Liberals would bring in their own procedural tactics to limit debate time on the bill. Passing the budget legislation before the summer recess is a priority for the government.
“What Conservatives are saying is no new carbon-tax increases,” Mr. Poilievre told reporters. “And if the government does not meet these demands, we will use all procedural tools at our disposal to block the budget from passing.”
Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault criticized Mr. Poilievre’s position. He said he finds it unbelievable that the Opposition Leader is proposing to do less on climate change during what the minister said will likely be the worst year in Canada’s history for forest fires.
“The only answer that the Conservative Leader has is, ‘let’s make pollution free again. Let’s do less to fight climate change,’” said Mr. Guilbeault. “I find it unconscionable that that’s the only thing that Pierre Poilievre has to say.”
THE DECIBEL
Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt is a professor at the University of Ottawa and Canada Research Chair in Children’s Mental Health and Violence Prevention. She’s on the show to explain why violence in schools is on the rise and what research tells us about how to prevent it. Listen here or wherever you download podcasts.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a news conference at noon with federal cabinet ministers to provide an update on the government’s response to wildfires.
LEADERS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a news conference and will take part in Question Period.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will lead off his party’s questions during the afternoon Question Period.
No information was released Monday regarding the schedule for Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet. Bloc House Leader Alain Therrien is scheduled to hold a news conference about forest fires in Quebec.
OPINION
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on how the Conservatives are trying to bury Bernier in Portage-Lisgar by-election: “When Pierre Poilievre was in Manitoba last week, he was keen to call Maxime Bernier a fraud. The Conservatives hope that a June 19 byelection in the riding of Portage-Lisgar will rid them of Mr. Bernier and his People’s Party of Canada. Mr. Bernier is from Quebec, but he is running in Portage-Lisgar, a sprawling riding west of Winnipeg where his party did relatively well in the 2021 election.”
The Globe and Mail’s editorial board writes that Canada needs more newcomers and much more housing: “This lack of planning exacerbates the supply shortage, reflected in the cost to buy or rent. Immigration isn’t the cause, but it has intensified the squeeze. Some argue for reduced immigration, yet that dodges the problem. On the flip side, Ottawa says immigration will bring in skilled tradespeople but this ignores barriers that slow construction. Canada hasn’t built enough housing to meet existing demand. What’s necessary to temper prices is a massive supply response, adding 5.8 million homes by 2030, according to work from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. There were 15 million homes as of 2021.”
RE/MAX President Christopher Alexander writes in The Globe that the 15-minute city idea is key to solving Canada’s housing crisis: “At its most basic level, the 15-minute neighbourhood can reduce carbon emissions, promote social cohesion and even improve public health. These are all benefits that are already being enjoyed by cities such as Paris, Copenhagen and Melbourne. Meanwhile, cities such as Helsinki have captured the spirit of this framework and even surpassed it, by ensuring that each neighbourhood has a balance of market housing, mixed-income housing and subsidized housing. This offers residents access to a culturally and socio-economically diverse, vibrant community where small businesses and people thrive.”
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Bill Curry