Madam Speaker, before I share my observations, I would just like to congratulate you on your recent re-election as the members' unanimous choice to co-chair the House.
I am privileged to rise and speak to an issue that is on all Canadians' minds no matter where they live or their socioeconomic reality. We all know that this is a tragically historic event. I have no doubt that everyone in the House is thinking of the families who lost loved ones to the floods in B.C.
Our government wants to thank the first responders, the search and rescue volunteers and the emergency managers who are working hard to keep people on the west coast safe at this time.
Our government is monitoring the situation in southern British Columbia closely. We have offered to provide whatever assistance is needed to help respond to and recover from this extreme weather.
Our government continues to work with provincial and local partners. The ongoing whole-of-government response effort is coordinated to ensure that the province has the resources it needs to support the people of B.C. In response to requests for federal assistance from the Province of British Columbia on November 16, our government approved the use of Canadian Armed Forces air assets and land components to assist with the whole-of-government relief effort.
The floods seen on Vancouver Island and in B.C.'s southern mainland have shocked and saddened people across this country. While the crisis has limited its devastation to one great province, the message it has carried has flowed from coast to coast to coast. There is no community in our country that has watched events unfold in British Columbia and not felt concern for the people there or dread for what such a catastrophe means for all of us. Whether we live in Cornerbrook or Cape Breton, Kamouraska or Kenora, Colville Lake or Canmore, the B.C. floods and the rains that brought them matter.
If we look beyond the events of this month and, in fact, of this year, we cannot deny that they matter a lot. Over the course of several months, B.C. has felt the impacts of multiple climate disasters: devastating wildfires and life-threatening extreme heat.
The sudden heavy rains last week were the result of an atmospheric river, a phenomenon that Canadians have come to know much more about.
As the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, I am particularly moved by the events unfolding on the west coast. I share in the sadness of the families of those who lost their lives in the serious flooding. I am struck by the stories of the residents of British Columbia. I have been informed of the challenges the municipalities are facing because of the damage to the infrastructure and the repairs that will be needed.
Providing relief and recovering from a flood is a long-term prospect. We are committed to providing what is needed to help people get through this difficult time. Unfortunately, we know that British Columbia is not out of the woods yet.
Another atmospheric river event is occurring now. Affecting the province's north coast, it is expected to slip southward, bringing more rain to southern B.C. within days. In fact, atmospheric rivers are expected to continue to affect the province beyond that.
My department is not merely watching these developments. We are regularly updating our official weather forecast, weather watches and warnings. I encourage people in B.C. to continue to follow Environment and Climate Change Canada's official channels for weather forecasts, weather watches and warnings. There, they will find more details on the latest weather information.
Our immediate priority is support for activities on the ground. With world-class meteorological services, Environment and Climate Change Canada continues to provide assistance to B.C.'s emergency management and response efforts. The department's meteorologists are providing frequent weather updates to Emergency Management British Columbia at the primary operations centre, as well as to the regional command centres. Our National Hydrological Service technologists and engineers are monitoring water-gauging stations and providing water-level data to help guide the provincial flood forecasters. Our experts are briefing the regional coordination group, providing up-to-the-minute, site-specific weather forecasts, and our national environmental emergencies centre is monitoring for potential pollution incidents, ready to provide support.
The severity of weather events in B.C., as well as their potential impacts, is unquestionable and is not limited to one given place. Consider the torrential rain and strong winds that began lashing Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador yesterday. Many Canadians are asking openly, “Is that what climate change looks like?” It is not as simple as attributing a single weather event to human-caused climate change, but the evidence is conclusive: Canada is experiencing more frequent and more intense extreme weather events, and climate change is leading to those intense disasters, not only here at home but also around the world.
We know that climate change is causing more frequent extreme weather conditions. Canadians are seeing this clearly. It is not unreasonable for people to associate these events with climate change.
If the events in British Columbia strongly suggest that climate change is happening, then what are we to do? Our government is taking action in different ways. Strengthening weather forecasting and environmental services and early warning systems will be essential in the future because Canada will be facing unprecedented weather conditions.
Such measures are critical for robust emergency preparedness and response to events like the ones we have seen in B.C. this year. They also complement the significant steps this government has taken already to adapt to a future climate that is in sharp contrast to today's climate.
Climate adaptation was one of the key themes at COP26, the UN climate change conference that the Prime Minister, several cabinet ministers and I attended at the beginning of this month in Glasgow, Scotland. There, on the world stage, Canada committed to doing its part.
Never before has the need to adapt to climate change been stronger. Most countries went to Glasgow to announce that they would sustain and increase their commitments to adapt to climate change. Canada was among those countries. Going forward, as we have for many years, our government will continue to foster robust partnerships and help scale-up worldwide efforts for a climate-resilient future.
What does adapting to climate change involve at home? First, it is about informing people.
Weather forecasting and environmental services, such as those provided by the Government of Canada, are becoming increasingly important in the face of unprecedented weather conditions. They support decision-making at all levels of society and increase climate resilience.
We must tackle climate change openly and directly. Extreme weather events will increase in severity and frequency in the decades to come.
We must invest in transforming our infrastructure, our economy and our relationship with nature. Many government departments, working together, started developing a national adaptation strategy earlier this year. The strategy will unite actors at different levels of government and build Canada's strong foundation into a common blueprint for action for all citizens, governments and organizations.
Let us not forget the hard lessons learned these past few weeks in British Columbia. There always comes a time when the immediate crisis is over, and we must remain open to new ideas and change our ways.
In the wake of the experience of the B.C. flooding, and in fact all of the severe weather events in that province this year, we must show that by working together, governments, organizations, indigenous people and citizens can build climate resilience. Together, we must do more. We must do it faster to fight climate change and to enhance our abilities to prepare and adapt. Our government will always be there to help Canadians in need.
