I'm thinking about my riding. It's mainly tiny communities of 500 people, 1,000 people. These are not communities that have the resources, the people resources, the administration resources, to manage these programs on their own. Why are you putting it on them or the FCM rather than doing it through the federal government?
I'll move on now because I have a few more questions.
The last time I asked, I was looking for ways the federal government could support the forest industry. As you know, it's having hard times. We still have softwood lumber tariffs hanging over it. There are mills in my riding that are closing for periods of time this spring to save money because they've been hit as lumber prices have fallen.
The last time you were here, I suggested that the federal government could put up bold funding to help these communities and this industry and also keep them protected. We've had two years of forest fires in British Columbia alone that cost $1 billion a year just to fight the fires, and perhaps $10 billion in costs to deal with the aftermath.
The forest experts I've talked to suggest that we should be spending $1 billion each year in British Columbia to mitigate those actions. I see small, various programs to help the forest industry in this budget, but I don't see anything significant that will go after the safety of communities in forest environments. With most of the communities in British Columbia, for instance, and many communities across Canada, where the federal government could provide funding that would help the provinces and municipalities thin the forests in the interface areas, it would provide fibre for local mills, provide work and keep people safe.
I met with a community group in my riding a couple of weeks ago. They're one of Canada's top fire safe communities. They are desperate for any government help they can find. Right now, they get $500 a year. If they got $1,000 a year, they'd be happy. They're just a tiny community. I'm wondering why I don't see anything in this budget that is a significant help in terms of fire smarting these forest communities.
The Filmon report suggested an amount for British Columbia, an amount that has not even.... Only 15% has been sent. We're talking about billions of dollars here.
I'm wondering if there's any hope for the future that this federal government will step up and make some really meaningful contribution in this regard.