Mr. Speaker, Alberta has experienced a below average snowfall and above average temperatures this spring, leading to Alberta's wildfire season starting a month early. As a result, over the past two days, dozens of wildfires have started across Alberta, requiring the efforts of over 650 firefighters, 12 helicopters, and two air tankers.
Despite the warnings of an extremely dry and hot summer, the provincial NDP government is cutting $15 million from the wildfire management budget, jeopardizing the safety of Albertans.
Schools and first nation communities have been evacuated, highways closed, buildings destroyed, and two firefighters injured. In my riding, air tanker pilots have been hard at work putting out wildfires near Slave Lake, even while their jobs hang in the balance due to these reckless NDP cuts.
I want to thank the 650 firefighters for their incredible efforts to battle these fires across the province and I call on the Alberta NDP government to restore this critical funding.