Environment Committee on Sept. 25th, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thank you.

We'll now go to our second round.

This is a five-minute round, and it's Mr. Lloyd who's leading it off.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for coming here.

I think the only thing I can agree with you on here is that they were brave and heroic firefighters who were fighting on the front lines. Once this fire started, I don't believe there was anything they could have done to have stopped it, just because of the intensity of this fire.

You've come in here, Minister, with quite a lot of bravado. You've talked about the great job your government has done and about how Jasper is the most prepared town for a fire, yet one-third of the town was allowed to burn down, with nearly a billion dollars' worth of damage, and 2,000 people are homeless.

Do you have any humility, Minister? Is there any admission that your government could have done more to prevent this fire from destroying one-third of the town? What could you have done, Minister?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

It's quite ironic that your party, of all parties, would be talking about that when you oppose systematically—

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Don't deflect this, Minister.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

—every measure we put in place to fight climate change—

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

You knew.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

—or even to adapt to climate change.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

You didn't take action for nine years.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Just a second, Mr. Lloyd. We're not in question period here.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

You oppose everything that—

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Can we just pause for a second?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Let's just calm down and have a meaningful exchange.

Where were we? Were we at your answer or your question? I'm sorry. I was talking to Mr. Morrice.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

I'm here to listen to the minister right now.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Go ahead.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

I find it incredibly ironic that your party, of all the parties in the House of Commons, would be asking these questions when you oppose both the measures to fight climate change and the measures to adapt to climate change. Climate change is a reality. You may dispute this and your party may not recognize this—

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Your measures failed to protect the town of Jasper.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

—but it's real. We won't prevent flooding—

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

You are not showing any humility. You're not giving Canadians any solace.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

—and we won't prevent forest fires—

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

This is not about humility and modesty. We're not going to get into that.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

I'd like to move on to my next question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Yes. Please do. Thank you.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Thank you.

Minister, in 2017 and in 2018, in multiple letters sent to your predecessor, Catherine McKenna, who was minister at the time, Ken Hodges and Emile Begin, forestry scientists, warned your government that Parks Canada was not capable of preventing this fire and that the actions they had taken to date were not capable of preventing these fires. They said it was a matter of when, not if.

Why did Parks Canada fail to take the actions necessary to prevent this devastating wildfire?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

I respectfully disagree with the characterization of your question.

Andrew, I'm wondering if you want to talk about this. I've spoken about some of the things Parks Canada has done. Do you want to add a few things?