Thank you, Chair.
Good afternoon, committee members.
Thank you for inviting me to speak to you about the Jasper National Park fire this past summer. I never thought I would be sitting as a speaker on a committee. I'm more comfortable on your side, asking questions, but what took place this summer in Jasper Park and the townsite needs to be studied and examined, and I want to thank the committee for conducting this study.
As the past sitting member of Parliament for the Yellowhead riding, I spoke numerous times in the House of Commons regarding the pine beetle situation in Jasper Park and the Yellowhead region. I spoke in May 2016 in the House of Commons, asking the Liberals for their plan to combat the pine beetle infestation in Jasper National Park. I told them at that time that nothing was being done.
I again brought up the issue in June 2017 to then-environment minister Catherine McKenna. I explained my concerns about the tremendous fuel load of dead trees that were the result of the pine beetle. I stressed that the residents were concerned for the safety of the visitors and for their own homes. I told the Liberals there was a high risk of a devastating fire in Jasper if they did not act.
In October 2017, during question period, I asked the Liberals what they were going to do to assist the forestry industry in my region due to the pine beetle infestation. I received no reassurance. On October 26, 2017, I spoke of the pine beetle and my experience with it in B.C. I tried to explain in detail the movement of the pine beetle and that Jasper had turned brown from one end to the other.
I told the Liberals that the people of Jasper at that time, just a few months later, feared for their safety and the safety of their community because of the dead pine trees, and that there was a risk of a fire that, if started, people would not be able to escape. I asked the Liberals for an adaptation plan for the pine beetle, but never received one and never witnessed adequate action being taken by the government inside the park.
On November 9, 2017, I rose again in the House to ask about the government's plan for the pine beetle infestation. I advised that the infestation had increased tenfold in the last year and that it had moved from Jasper into central Alberta. I asked directly what the Liberals were doing to stop this infestation. I once again received no answer.
My point is that, after raising these concerns, I continued to visit Jasper National Park and did not see adequate responses. The Liberal government knew that a fire in Jasper was inevitable—we all did—but it failed to take this seriously to prevent the devastation of the Jasper wildfire. By July 2024, there was so much deadwood laying around that Jasper was a tinderbox. Those of us who live in this area knew there would be a major, destructive fire. We just didn't know when, but we do now.
Jasper National Park and the town of Jasper were almost totally destroyed by the fire. Thankfully, not all was lost.
The impact on the residents of Jasper and business owners and the tourism losses will be felt for years to come. I hope your study of this tragedy will make our park safer and protect the environmental beauty of the landscape and the communities within it.
In closing my address, I want the committee to know that two weeks ago, I drove toward Jasper Park, starting from Lake Louise in the south. I was shocked to see the degree of burn in the park leading up to the Jasper townsite. It had to be a horrendously hot fire. The destruction in the community was devastating. It's hard to put it into words. I feel deeply for the people of Jasper. It's going to be a tough road ahead for them.
For the last 50 years, I have loved to travel through our beautiful Jasper park to enjoy the mountains, the wildlife and the incredible scenery. Never in any of those trips—and there were hundreds—was I not lucky enough to see abundant wildlife.
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to stress this: On this last trip through Jasper National Park, I did not see one animal.
What went wrong? The people of Jasper deserve answers.
Thank you.