Evidence of meeting #124 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was fires.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
She has six minutes and it's now 1:21.
Let's see how it goes.
Conservative
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My first question is for you, Mr. Gault. I want to echo the thanks to your members. Their heroic action is constantly keeping communities safe. We've heard a lot about the courage of your members. We've heard politicians thank them, but oftentimes those thanks ring hollow if there isn't the support and the resources they need.
Before the Jasper fire and leading up into this wildfire season, what you were hearing from firefighters? Can you talk a little bit about what concerns were being raised?
Vice-President, North East Region, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
Thank you very much for the question.
We have this conversation every year that they are understaffed and underappreciated and that there's a lack of respect from the government. They are constantly receiving cuts.
As I said, a couple of years ago they received a few cuts, and that follows in. It is very hard to do a job in any province when you are stretched thin but are being asked for more and more. It becomes frustrating.
Our members have no benefits. If they're sick, their choice is to not to go to work, but if they're on a camp, they're staying at the camp because they need the unemployment benefit. Fire season is lasting longer, but our season isn't lasting longer. We are now down to maybe 50 or 60, and I'm sure Minister Loewen, if he wants to, because we have contract firefighters now.... Last year we had 64 carry-over fires, well over the number that we normally have.
What's happening is that there's a feeling of “Why am I doing this?” They're doing it because they love the job and because they love Albertans and because it's something that they want to do, but you can only ask people paid $22 an hour to go in and risk their lives.... The loss of Morgan Kitchen was a drastic loss felt through the Alberta wildland. It's something that will take a while to get over.
For us, the complaint is the finger-pointing. We are just going in to fight fires. We have to remember that on the 24th, we were removed from Jasper. We do not fight structure fires. The smoke was too bad and we don't have respiratory gear, so they were moved to Hinton for their safety, but they wanted to be in there fighting. We have members who are municipal firefighters, so they can continue to fight.
At the end of the day, they're frustrated and tired.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Yes. It feels like we've heard from the province that there were delays in being invited into unified command in a decision-making capacity. We've heard complaints that the provincial government didn't have capacity or so on, but really, it's the failure to collaborate effectively.
People don't care, necessarily, if it's provincial or federal jurisdiction; they want their communities to be safe, and firefighters want to make sure that they are safe, or as safe as they can be while they're fighting these fires.
Vice-President, North East Region, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
What I'll say is that the issue that's going on is that Jasper is a municipality inside federal land, but it's been a municipality since 2001. The province has a responsibility to those members. If they're not choosing to use it, there are reasons or legislation that she can use. There are new legislation powers that she gave.
This isn't a slight on just this government; it's any government. They have the ability to step in earlier. They chose not to. They put our firefighters at risk. They say, yes, we're so thankful for you, but then they say in the paper that you're not worth a raise. You're not worth anything else.
That's the battle we have in the province as we move towards privatization.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
You know, $22 an hour for a wildland firefighter and no health benefits is appalling when you think about the fact that these men and women are risking their lives to keep communities safe, but it's also a practical challenge when it comes to retention. Can you talk a little bit about the impacts you've seen when it comes to recruitment and retention?
Vice-President, North East Region, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
When it comes to recruitment and retention, the issue we're having is that we work on a scale in the province. Every year you work, you go up a scale. When it comes to firefighting, you have only a four- or five-month season, so it takes you three years to move up. You come into Alberta, you get the experience and you move on to another area. That's what's happening. We're losing the depth of knowledge we need to fight these fires. We have people with two or three years of experience who are doing the best they can. They are working hard and they are saving people's lives and property.
What it boils down to, when you look at it, is that every year it's the same thing. Last year Minister Loewen was supposed to have them hired by March. It was still well into May when we had brand new people going into fires. It wasn't just the Jasper fire. Remember, we had 55 out-of-control fires across this province and evacuations in Fort McMurray and different areas.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
We know that firefighters are dying at higher rates of cancer than they are of fighting fires. That is pretty appalling, when you think about the fact that you are talking about firefighters who don't have cancer coverage.
Can you talk about the importance of that in particular?
Vice-President, North East Region, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
Other provinces, like B.C. and Ontario, are starting to give pre-cancer coverage. You hear on the news that the smoke is so bad in Fort McMurray that people need to be inside because the smoke can cause cancer. Then you hear that the people who are actually fighting the fires don't have that coverage. It really makes them feel like they are not appreciated.
There was a minister—and I'm not sure if it was a minister, but it was somebody from the government—who was talking about our wildland firefighters. Firefighters understand the act of fighting fire. They are supposed to be behind the smoke plume. If they are in front of the smoke plume, they're in the wrong spot.
That is not on the firefighter. That is on wind and different things that are happening. The government continues to say to firefighters, “It's up to you to be responsible.” With no gear, no nothing, why stay? Unfortunately, they stay, because they love Albertans, and many of them have memories they want to protect.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Collins.
We have no time left. Our resources are up at 1.30. We have no time for another round that would equitably treat six questioners.
I'm going to thank the witnesses, both online and present.
The meeting is adjourned.
