Debates of Nov. 24th, 2021

Flooding in British Columbia

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from British Columbia on his fine speech.

I want to address the issue of the cost: Billions of dollars of infrastructure will be required to address the very real flooding dangers in the area where we both live and represent our constituents. Billions of dollars' worth of diking upgrades and new dikes will have to be built.

I would ask the member to take this question directly to the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, to the finance minister, to the infrastructure minister and to the Prime Minister himself: Are they prepared to commit, in the next budget, to include a very significant envelope to address specifically the issue of dike protection, not only in British Columbia but across the country, yes or no?

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, absolutely. The member and I were able to sit together on the way out here and talk about the devastating effects, and I think that our government needs to invest. We have seen the impacts, and with $8 billion for one event, the magnitude could be so much greater as we experience this across the country in other regions and perhaps again in British Columbia. We are in a low-lying area against the Fraser River through the Fraser Valley, and things such as dike protection and dike reinforcement are absolutely critical. I will be discussing with members of our government that it is absolutely critical to get ahead of this. The investment dollars will save us that much more down the road.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your new role as Chair.

I would like to again thank the constituents of Nanaimo—Ladysmith for putting their trust in me as their newly elected member of Parliament.

The devastating flooding in B.C. has been a painful reminder that we are living with the consequences of the human-caused climate crisis. Indigenous communities across Canada continue to be at the forefront of the climate crisis. Shamefully, first nations feel the impacts all too frequently being at the back of the line for federal funding for cleanups and infrastructure. Chief Roxanne Harris and the Stz'uminus First Nation in my riding have felt these impacts from the flooding first-hand, and the delays in funding have only made matters worse.

Is my colleague ready to listen to indigenous leaders such as Chief Harris, and to work alongside indigenous communities to get them the urgent support they need to combat the worsening climate crisis?

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from British Columbia for that question. We absolutely need to work with all populations and all communities. Indigenous communities often have so many disadvantages, so it is important that we are there for them.

In the latest flooding event, there was money immediately made available to a number of first nations that were affected, to help get supplies and other goods into the communities and provide any assistance that was needed. We can never forget that these populations are often at risk and in need of support, and I think we all need to work together to make sure that our indigenous communities are supported through these types of events.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is my first time rising in the House in this term. I want to thank the constituents of Parkdale—High Park for returning me for a third time to this august chamber. I want to welcome back the member for Cloverdale—Langley City.

Why am I participating in this debate about B.C. environmental events? It is because there is a pattern that we are seeing with these mudslides and fires. What we are seeing is something that my constituents are very concerned about, which is the impact of climate change.

I know the member is a learned man who has spent a lot of time working in parks and in conservation. What has this taught him about the urgency of climate change and about where the priority must be in terms of investments by our government?

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this type of event really points out the need for urgent action on climate change, and that is why I am so proud of having run with the government on this very strong platform. In fact, it is the strongest platform of all the parties. It is a very aggressive program to deal with climate change and its effects. We are dealing with it and we will continue to push forward.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful that this emergency debate is taking place tonight to discuss the devastating flooding in my home province of British Columbia. As we anticipate more heavy rain coming this week, the actions that we take and the preparations that are made in the coming days will be very important to support those who will be impacted by future storms.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my condolences to all those affected by the destruction, particularly those in Merritt, Abbotsford, Chilliwack or Hope, including constituents of my colleagues in Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, from Abbotsford and from Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon.

The loss and devastation that we have seen over the past week is heartbreaking. There has been a loss of life, evacuations and people left stranded. Within just a few days, 18,000 were forced to leave their homes and critical infrastructure like highways and railroads in and out of the province were severely damaged.

I would also like to thank all of those who have been working around the clock to support the residents impacted and to those who have stepped up to help their neighbours in the face of these challenging times. British Columbians have faced a great deal of devastation caused by extreme weather and natural disasters. In its look back at the 2021 B.C. wildfire season, the CBC reported 1,600 fires across 8,700 square kilometres in the province this year alone.

This has been the third largest area impacted in recorded history in a summer filled with drought and record-breaking heatwaves. Just last month as we moved into autumn, a time when forest fire season would usually come to an end, we still had 140 fires burning in the province. The consequences of this year's wildfires could be a contributing factor to the flooding experienced in my region.

The B.C. Ministry of Forests described how after intense fire, soil can become repellent to water, causing water to run off and pool rather than be absorbed by the soil. This can lead to landslides and floods after heavy rains or quick-melting snow. This shows the ripple effects that climate change can have. The more extreme heat and natural disasters we experience, the more disasters they may trigger in the future.

If this is not a sign to climate change deniers that climate change is real and here, I do not know what else it will take. On this side of the chamber, we know that the science is clear: human activities are causing unprecedented changes to the earth's climate. Climate change poses significant risks to human health and safety of the environment. It impacts biodiversity and economic growth. Across the country each year, flooding alone leads to more than $1 billion in direct damages to homes, businesses and infrastructure. We know that we cannot afford to not address climate change.

We must continue to take swift and decisive action to address the consequences of climate change, work to lower emissions levels, reduce our consumption and find innovative solutions to reach net-zero. Our government is doing just that. In just the last year, our government has invested $60 billion toward climate action and clean growth and an additional $53.6 billion into Canada's green recovery. Since we formed government, we have invested $100 billion to address climate change.

By moving forward to cap and cut oil and gas sector emissions, we are making investments in public transit and mandating the sale of zero-emission vehicles. We are increasing our price on pollution and we are protecting our lands and rivers.

To address climate change adaptation, we invested an additional $1.4 billion toward the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund to further support projects such as wildfire mitigation activities, rehabilitation of stormwater systems and restoration of wetlands and shorelines.

In fact, in 2019, the federal Liberal government funded $76 million, through the $2-billion disaster mitigation and adaptation fund, for Surrey, in partnership with the Semiahmoo First Nation to upgrade 7.5 kilometres of the Nicomeki and Serpentine sea dams, the Colebrook Dike, and upgrade two pump stations and two dikes, but we must do more.

We have been working with provinces and territories to complete flood maps for higher risk areas, supported first nations and Inuit as they managed the health impacts of climate change such as access to food, impacts of extreme weather events and mental health impacts of climate change on youth.

Our government will continue to invest in our workers and our industry to help bring Canada into the economy of the future while we take action to clean our air and protect Canadians from extreme weather events like the ones we are currently experiencing in B.C. As Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary May Simon said in the Speech from the Throne yesterday, “in a time of crisis, we know how Canadians respond. We step up and we are there for each other. And the government will continue to be there for the people of British Columbia.” Canadians are stepping up.

I had the opportunity to see this first-hand last week, when I joined a team of volunteers delivering food and supplies to Hope and Yale, B.C. This was made possible by the generosity of the Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib in Surrey, Richberry farms' Peter Dhillon and the Guru Nanak Food Bank. I thank those who stepped up for their communities and neighbours during the challenging times.

I saw first-hand how people felt scared, isolated and anxious, whether it was from sleeping in their cars for days or from whether they could have bread or milk as the shelves in the stores were bare. When disaster first struck in B.C., search and rescue teams from Comox helped rescue motorists who had been stranded in dangerous conditions. The Canadian Armed Forces on the ground supported relief and mitigation efforts. When remote communities were cut off by landslides and road closures, the Air Task Force members helped deliver essential food and supplies. They delivered over 6,000 pounds of supplies to the Nooaitch and Nicomen first nations communities so far, including critical staples like fresh milk, eggs and potatoes.

Thousands of Canadian Armed Forces members are on standby and will be on their way to assist those most impacted by the tragedy, if needed. I thank the members of the Canadian military for their work, which includes everything from evacuations, rescuing livestock, sandbagging areas at risk of flooding and assisting with infrastructure repairs. We are so grateful for their commitment to keeping British Columbians safe on the ground during this difficult time.

Our government is working closely with provincial counterparts in British Columbia. We recently approved their request for federal assistance from the province for help with its emergency response to the extreme widespread flooding. Indigenous Services Canada also approved a funding request of $4.4 million in additional funding to the First Nations' Emergency Services Society of British Columbia to support it as it assists first nations in their response to the widespread flooding caused by the recent atmospheric river event.

Our government has also been helping residents return home who have been left stranded in the flooded areas where roads have been inaccessible. A local team from my constituency of Surrey Centre, the Surrey Thunder U11 boys hockey team, was on its way to a tournament nearly 400 kilometres away from home and was left stranded with no accessible route home through Canada due to the road damage caused by the flooding. Thanks to the coordination on both sides of the border, including of our government officials, CBSA officers, U.S. immigration and many more who were involved, we were able to get them home safely.

As British Columbians brace for the expected heavy rains coming at the end of this week, our government is watching closely and will stand with the people of British Columbia and continue to work with our provincial counterparts to ensure the safety and well-being of British Columbians.

I would like to close today by acknowledging that there are colleagues from British Columbia who are represented across party lines in the House. I hope that, as we begin the 44th Parliament, we can come together and do what we must do to support all those impacted by these devastating events and the many other challenging situations Canadians are facing across this country. To everyone in B.C. impacted by the floods, please take care and stay safe.

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your appointment.

I want to thank the member for Surrey Centre particularly for highlighting the work being done to enhance the diking system around the Nicomekl River and the Serpentine River running through Surrey and also through my riding of Langley—Aldergrove. However, we heard earlier in debate today that a significant cause of the flooding on the Canadian side of Sumas Prairie was the breaching of the dikes and the banks of the Nooksack River on the American side.

I wonder if the member would have any comments about how the Canadian government has to work together with the American and the Washington governments to make sure that does not happen again. That needs to be solved.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely essential. As we know, the environment does not pick borders or see boundaries and we have to work with our American and global counterparts for many things. In this particular place, we have to work with our partners to the south to make sure they make the same mitigation efforts, the same diking and restoration efforts, so that this does not happen again. Deep collaborations among the provincial and state governments and the two federal governments would have to take place. I will encourage and definitely speak to our ministers of global affairs so they can talk to their counterparts on the U.S. side.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

Earlier, my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands did a great job explaining what happened in British Columbia. Because of the fires that happened a few months ago, the ground had a hard time absorbing water. As a result, the water flowed across the land, destroying things in its path. That is an example of the kind of self-destruct sequence that can be triggered when nature is out of balance. It is the kind of surprise we can expect once we hit the famous tipping point if we do not keep the temperature increase in check.

Does my colleague think his government has done enough to keep the temperature increase in check?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of work to be done, absolutely. It is essential to control the growth of the temperature rising. As my colleague from Cloverdale—Langley City alluded to earlier, we must do more. Canada is warming faster than many other countries around the globe. We have a huge watershed in our Arctic that we have to preserve, which is kind of the coolant of the globe, and therefore we must do more. Otherwise, these disastrous events will happen.

We need support from across the aisle on this issue and it should be bipartisan or tripartisan with all parties in this matter.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this is my first time rising in the House. I want to thank the fine people of Edmonton Griesbach for the tremendous honour to represent them in this place.

I want to extend my condolences, first and foremost, to the people of British Columbia who have suffered and continue to suffer from the catastrophic flooding caused by human-made climate change. My heart and the hearts of the people of Edmonton Griesbach are with all of them.

I also want to make clear that the impact of this crisis is being felt far outside the province of British Columbia. The Alberta supply chain has been hit hard by the devastating floods in B.C. Local business owners in my district of Edmonton Griesbach are working around the clock to keep their shelves stocked, but they are finding it impossible to keep food and essential goods on the shelf.

Can the member expand on what plans the government has to ensure we build a more robust supply chain that can withstand this and future climate-caused crises, especially for those who have been hit hard by long-standing supply chain issues like indigenous communities and communities in the north?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member on his election and representing the constituents of Edmonton Griesbach.

The government will do whatever it takes. This is a very essential time. As we have seen, even without natural climate disasters, due to the COVID situation globally, supply chains have been even more imperative. They have to be examined and ensured, particularly for indigenous communities, remote communities and communities in the interior, so we will do whatever it takes.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is very good to see you in the chair, the first Acadian deputy speaker. Congratulations.

Colleagues, I wish my first speech in the 44th Parliament was not on this topic. I will be splitting my time with the member of Parliament for Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge. I want to thank him and our colleagues from British Columbia for bringing forward this emergency debate.

Over the last week and a half, Canadians have watched our families, our friends and our relatives in some cases fight devastating floods and landslides across British Columbia that have brought unspeakable devastation to communities in a province that was still recovering from the forest fires that took place over the course of the last year. I have been hearing some of the accounts first-hand from the British Columbian members of our caucus and of course from media reports. Families used kayaks, motorboats and canoes to reach safety. They watched their homes, farms and businesses literally become submerged by the flooding. Others spent nights in their cars on highways that were washed away or covered by trees and mud.

Supply chains connected to the Port of Vancouver are blocked. Residents are wondering how they are going to get essential goods. The destruction is heartbreaking, and that is why we are here tonight.

Tonight I want to speak directly to British Columbians. I can only imagine the hardship that they and their families have been facing and will continue to face in rebuilding efforts. Although with the roads and railways they may have felt cut off from Canada, they should know that they will never be cut off from their friends and family in this great country.

Our country as a whole is here to support them because that is what it means to be Canadian. In times of trouble, we all come together. When people need help, we are there to serve. From the Lower Mainland to the Interior, when the highways turned to rivers, that is when we saw British Columbians step up with heroic action for their neighbours.

These are people like Henry Chillihitzia, who used a motorboat to lead 29 horses to safety in near-freezing and fast-moving flood waters in Merritt, and a helicopter pilot from Vancouver Island who sprung into action, delivering badly needed supplies in the Mainland before rescuing six people who were stuck in Hope. Cities like Kamloops and Kelowna have opened their doors to welcome hundreds if not thousands stranded in British Columbia. Communities have stepped up with heroic resilience, a resilience that Canadians have been known for at home and around the world. However, it is time that those families know that the rest of Canada is stepping up too.

The work of our Canadian Armed Forces, our first responders on the ground and civic workers has saved lives and protected property. However, the rebuilding effort will require significant federal support and a long-term plan and commitment. British Columbians need to know that Canada will be with them for the long term as they rebuild. They need a united country behind them to help them get back on their feet, and my commitment to them is that the Conservatives here in Ottawa will be a voice for them now and every day forward as we rebuild. We will ensure that no one is left behind and that they will get the support they need.

We know that one aspect of climate change is more frequent extreme weather. While we must work to lower emissions, we must also work to protect our communities and protect our economy by building resilient communities and dedicating specific infrastructure funding to adaptation efforts. The Conservatives campaigned on a plan to better prepare communities for the impacts of a changing climate. I spoke to Mayor Henry Braun in Abbotsford a few days ago. I want to thank Mayor Braun and civic leaders like him across B.C. for their leadership in this time of crisis.

Mayor Braun has told me, as other mayors have told my colleagues, about dikes that need rebuilding in Abbotsford, Agassiz, Hope and Kent. These communities need to know that there is a long-term commitment to resilient infrastructure. The Conservatives promised to develop and implement a national action plan on floods, including a residential high-risk flood insurance program so that Canadians can rebuild.

Our plan also included developing a national climate adaptation strategy, directly incorporating mitigation and adaptation lenses into all infrastructure projects. We also ran on and committed to appointing a national disaster resilience adviser to the Privy Council Office so that expertise is just down the hall from the prime minister whenever emergencies happen. For a government that is known for lots of talk and little action, I welcome the Liberals to steal any of our ideas as we need to rebuild British Columbia.

We will advocate for these important measures, and the Conservatives will be watching to make sure the government takes concrete action to protect the lives and livelihoods of Canadians. Let us work together to protect our country.

Thanks to the previous Conservative government's investments in the Canadian Armed Forces, our men and women in uniform have the capacity to carry out the mass movement of troops, supplies and equipment.

I want to thank the Minister of Public Safety for working with Conservative MPs and all MPs in our federal response. I respect that. However, the Liberal government also needs to be crystal clear when it comes to promises it makes to Canadians who are in crisis and are worried.

This past weekend, the Liberal minister was telling B.C. residents that they could cross the U.S. border to buy essential supplies without needing a COVID-19 test, but now we are hearing reports that flood-affected Canadians were fined over $5,000 for not taking the test before they returned home. British Columbians cannot afford this type of confusion, and I sincerely hope that the minister moves to correct this situation.

I am incredibly proud of my colleagues in the House from British Columbia who have been actively supporting their constituents and partner levels of government, including the members for Abbotsford and Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, and all of our MPs, including the MP for Chilliwack—Hope, who has remained on the ground to help coordinate efforts with our members here in Ottawa. Our entire B.C. team is here tonight and is working day and night to help those displaced and impacted.

As I said, I know that this is not just our side of the House. Indeed, all Canadians and all British Columbians need to know that we will be working for them. I thank everyone here in this emergency debate this evening for standing up for their fellow Canadians.

Let us be united in helping those who need it most. Let us make sure we protect people now and have long-term commitments to the economic rebuilding that will be required. Let us combat emissions and get them down while also making sure that adaptation efforts are under way with dikes, with flood mitigation and with emergency preparedness. Issues such as these should not be political. We need to make sure that the Prime Minister and Privy Council Office have the ability to rapidly address the needs of the nation and address the use of the Canadian Armed Forces, including with more direct army engineering capacity on the ground in British Columbia, something the province has really been deprived of since a Liberal government in the past closed CFB Chilliwack.

Let us make sure we build that capacity, we work together and we send a clear message to British Columbians tonight: We are here with them today, tomorrow and to the last day of the rebuilding because we need a strong British Columbia for a strong Canada.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I enjoyed the speech from the Leader of the Opposition. He ended by saying that we must be united and help those who need it most. I totally agree with him.

As I told the Prime Minister earlier, simply putting out fires is no longer good enough. What we are doing tonight is showing compassion and sympathy. We are trying to put out fires, but we have to start preventing them. Preventing fires means accepting what science tells us. Science tells us that our current approach to oil and gas is no longer possible in a context of global warming.

I wonder whether the leader of the official opposition would agree with me that the best short-term solution is to stop funding fossil fuels.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Jonquière for his question. Unfortunately, he is using an emergency debate to play petty political games. We are here for the well-being of Canadians.

When it comes to climate change, we need to be better prepared for the future. We need to make historic investments to respond to the effects of climate change such as flooding, as we indicated in our political platform during the election campaign. We need to be better prepared for the future in order to respond to disasters such as floods and fires, and this includes having a leader in the Privy Council Office, which was also part of our political platform. It is time to work together and take action for Canadians in British Columbia.

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear that the Leader of the Opposition is onside with the idea that we need to have a lot more ambition in funding climate adaptation for communities and in responding to disasters such as this.

As small communities like Princeton and Merritt are faced with tens of millions of dollars, if not much more, in rebuilding efforts, would he also be in favour of eliminating the necessity for a 20% municipal investment? It is something that small communities simply cannot manage, and they are the ones that know what to do and how to do it.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the way the member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay phrased the question in saying that we need more ambition reminds me of one of my major critiques of the Prime Minister and the Liberal government. They do not lack in ambition, nice tweets and trips abroad. What they lack is achievement. They never deliver on anything. They have long fired their person in charge of deliverology.

What we need is what the Conservatives ran on during the election: adaptation and resilient infrastructure investments. I agree with the member that for some smaller municipalities this is a very huge expense. As municipalities are a creation of the province, this is an area where I really do think the federal government and the provinces need to make sure that infrastructure funding specific to the impacts of climate change has federal and provincial leadership.

As I learned from my great discussion with Mayor Braun, the local governments can help set the priorities, but we have to be there not just to talk a good game but to deliver. The rebuilding efforts in B.C. will be some of the largest in our history. We have to show tonight that we will start and we will get the job done.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I have a few questions for the opposition leader. Is he aware that we have started to implement an adaptation strategy that is already delivering results by funding tangible projects from coast to coast to coast?

Take Montreal, where a park is being built with the collaboration of the city and the federal government. These are nature-based solutions that represent tens of millions of dollars and will help limit spring flooding in the city's west end.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for the question.

Perhaps he could go to British Columbia to see the effects of the flooding. He should get on a train today and go see the situation on the ground. Unfortunately, I understand the situation, and I am up to speed. The government has made a lot of announcements about climate change and investments in infrastructure, but there is no solid action. The difference between our team and the government is that we will deliver.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your appointment. You look good in the chair.

I want to express my appreciation to all members in the House and all parties for taking the time and agreeing to have this emergency debate. This afternoon, when we heard different members speaking about the crisis and the flood in British Columbia, I was struck that we gave each other standing ovations. All of us here really do care for the people of British Columbia and the province.

British Columbia is in a really tough spot right now. It is an emergency. I think of communities like Princeton, Merritt, Abbotsford and Chilliwack, which are submerged or partially submerged, and smaller communities like Lytton, which have been stranded.

Many thousands of people have been evacuated. I think of my brother David who lives in Yarrow. The livelihoods of people have been lost. The main transportation links were or are cut off.

Most of us have seen the pictures of devastation in the media, or pictures of the Coquihalla Highway, for example, and other rail and road arteries. I do not know if members or those who are watching have travelled the Coquihalla, but it is a marvel of engineering. To see the overpasses collapse and how the changing rivers have wiped out roads in other places is quite stunning.

My wife told me this morning that she hoped to see our granddaughter Harper in Kelowna around Christmastime, as well as the parents, who we love. I told her I did not know if we would be able to see them, because it depends on the roads. It could take many months before they are restored.

Gas is being rationed in my riding of Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge and throughout much of British Columbia.

I think of the entire city of Merritt, which was forced to evacuate. I think of the towns and villages of first nations, many of which are still reeling from the damage caused by the forest fire this summer, forced out at a moment's notice and living in emergency shelters once again. I think of the many people who lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods.

I think of Mirsad and Anita Hadzic, as well as two others, who lost their lives in the mudslide on Duffey Lake Road. Tragically, their two-year old daughter was left behind without parents. Even in these most tragic and sad situations, some rays are shining through. The people of British Columbia have rallied for this now-orphaned child, which is an example of the old adage “It takes a [community] to raise a child.” Money has poured in from everywhere, over $131,000 so far on GoFundMe.

I think it is important to acknowledge some of the more positive stories from the past 10 days. We saw people reaching out to strangers with vulnerable health, offering to run errands for them so they did not have to put themselves at risk.

There were stories that brought out the best in humanity, stories of love, generosity and hope, from a place aptly called Hope, a small town whose businesses and people stepped up in ways that we have not seen since Gander on 9/11. One of my staff, Jay Denney, told me about his friends Mya Warren and Kris Lang. They were on their way from Kelowna to Vancouver and became trapped in Hope, along with many others, when the roads leading out were closed or destroyed. They stayed positive throughout days of living in a car.

The member for Langley—Aldergrove's son, daughter-in-law and five children lived in their vehicle under an underpass for several days until they were able to escape.

Mya and Kris talked about the amazing volunteers at the high school in Hope, who provided blankets when they mentioned how cold it was. They shared stories on social media of how Panago Pizza had a generator and the staff fed people for free until they ran out of supplies.

They were connected with Barb, who took them in until safe passage to Vancouver became available. Many others in Hope welcomed complete strangers. It is a testament to the fact that despite our differences, when things get tough in Canada, our strong community fabric comes through to help one another.

Kudos to the people of Hope and to the people everywhere who have lent a hand or donated to help out. This fabric includes our first responders, the Canadian military, highway and utility crews, search and rescue units and emergency services volunteers. I thank all of them and the people of British Columbia for their resiliency, and for all the generous offers of assistance from all across Canada.

I want to move onto the challenges, current and future.

One challenge is the clarity and timeliness of information. Those same people in Hope, with all their positive stories, also raised valid complaints about accessing information. The information they received was from word of mouth. They wondered, as did I, why they received no information via emergency alerts on their cellphones. It seems pretty simple.

A simple message with the details of which radio station or website people could get information from would have gone a long way to help locate emergency supports. If we can inform people province-wide about a missing person or about a potential tsunami, then certainly we can inform them of how they can get help in a natural disaster. This needs to be discussed further so it does not happen again.

We also have, as others have mentioned, British Columbians who have been issued severe fines for passing through Washington state without getting a COVID PCR test. These people are not on holidays. They are travelling essentially to get goods to survive, and doing what the minister said they could. The minister said that the matter was now clarified. However, what about those fines? The minister said that it was the responsibility of the Public Health Agency. That is not good enough. These people have enough to worry about. They should not be devastated financially. The minister needs to, within his statutory powers, do everything he can with respect to these fines to see them overturned.

The ongoing challenges to infrastructure, transportation, supply chain, food supply, natural resources, human displacement and employment will be significant, and they all could have net-negative economic impacts for months, if not years to come.

Infrastructure concerns me greatly across B.C., but particularly in my riding. We were relatively fortunate in Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, which is only half an hour away from Abbotsford. The Pitt and Alouette River watersheds were not as hard hit, but we did not escape totally unscathed. There was some localized flooding, but it could have been much worse.

The dike system along the Pitt River has held, but there have been calls for years to upgrade this and no money has been committed. We need to do something about this. We could have a much more serious situation in the next freshet.

The government has had six years to make significant improvements and it has not, putting the people in Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and the Katzie first nation at severe risk. We need to take action to deal with the issue right now. There is time to discuss climate change and mitigation. This is important. However, right now we need to get the people out of the burning fire to provide safety and to move forward. That is an immediate concern.

It is important to keep the focus on keeping B.C. safe, keeping people informed and building back B.C. as quick as possible. We need to remember the commitments that are made here when this crisis is no longer front-page news.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that my colleague has a real heart for his constituents in the region.

We have had a lot of talk about climate change tonight. We know that climate change is a large factor in why this flooding happened. However, we also know that we have not been putting in the effort to ensure people are kept safe, whether it be through building infrastructure or through better emergency preparedness. I know the member was previously a member of the provincial legislature.

With the alert ready system, we have seen that the British Columbia government has not used that system. What more does the federal government need to do to work with the provinces to have a better standardized system for alert readiness in the country?

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is the responsibility of each province. I do think there should be some basic foundations and precautions. It is hard to understand why people were not alerted. A few hours could have made a difference for many people to not be stranded. This is certainly a discussion the minister can have with provincial counterparts to ensure this is established and effective for all Canadians.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate you on your election. You know how much I appreciate you, because we have spent time together on the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.

I thank my colleague for his passionate speech. He knows that he can count on the Bloc Québécois's support for our friends in British Columbia. I think everyone wants to rise above partisanship.

I unfortunately did not like how his leader responded to the question that my hon. colleague, the member for Jonquière, asked earlier about oil and gas. The Conservative leader accused my friend of playing petty political games. Calling for measures to combat climate change is not a petty political game. I am sure that my Conservative colleagues are aware of what is going on. Climate change exists, and British Columbia is an example of what is happening on this planet.

I would like to ask my Conservative friend whether we can count on all parliamentarians here to tackle climate change once and for all, in particular by eliminating subsidies for the oil industry.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Bloc Québécois member for his question, which is very important to everyone.

We will certainly have the opportunity to have this discussion during this Parliament. As a member from British Columbia, my priority is helping and protecting those who are in this serious and urgent situation. I do not want to say that the member's question is not important, but it is not urgent.