Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the Minister of National Defence.
While it is always an honour to speak in this place, I deeply wish it was under different circumstances. Canadians from coast to coast to coast have seen the terrible images coming out of Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec over the weekend. Homes have been destroyed by fallen trees, had their roofs blown off by extreme winds or been swept out to sea.
We also tragically had reports from authorities that people in several provinces, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, have passed away as a result of the storm. Let me say that our thoughts are foremost with their families and loved ones. We are thinking of them, we feel their pain and we will be there to help and support them.
Hurricane Fiona was an unprecedented storm, unlike anything that has struck our shores before. I expect we will hear many more stories from my colleagues here tonight, from Atlantic Canadians, about how this storm affected the lives of those they represent, members like you, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to listening to them.
As the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, I would like to start by providing an update to the House with some of the latest news from our officials. Let me first say that the Minister of Emergency Preparedness has been very active and involved in this matter from the beginning. Since we knew that there was a hurricane coming our way, he has been actively engaged, working with officials and working with other ministries, and we will hear from the Minister of National Defence, to coordinate our efforts to be ready once the storm hit Canada, not only working within the federal government but working very closely with the provincial governments and local authorities to ensure that they had all the support necessary.
Unfortunately, the minister is unable to be here. As many would know, he had knee surgery. However, he remains engaged and active, and I am working very closely with him. I wish him a speedy recovery.
In terms of the storm that hit Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec, recovery efforts are ongoing across the Atlantic provinces. As of 3:30 this afternoon, eastern daylight time, we understand that power outages are affecting approximately 171,000 customers in Nova Scotia, 75,000 customers in Prince Edward Island, 6,800 customers in New Brunswick and 220 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador. There are zero affected customers reported in Quebec at this moment.
States of local emergency remain in place at both Port aux Basques and Cape Breton. Thirteen first nation communities have reported impacts due to hurricane Fiona, and Indigenous Services Canada is working with those communities directly. Canadian Red Cross and Salvation Army are supporting shelters and feeding operations across the Atlantic provinces.
Two weather disturbances are expected on the September 26 and September 27 over Atlantic Canada, which may impact recovery efforts. Weather is expected to improve by September 28.
All levels of government are committed to continue working closely together to ensure that impacted communities are able to recover as quickly as possible. At the federal level, we have approved requests for assistance from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed to assist in the local response, and I am confident we will hear more details from the Minister of National Defence when she has the opportunity to speak.
In addition, Transport Canada's national aerial surveillance program is providing support to assess the storm's damages in multiple provinces. The Canadian Coast Guard has also made resources available to assist where needed.
We also remain in close contact with all affected provinces as they continue their response and remain highly engaged on the news. There are ongoing, direct communications taking place, not only at the officials level between the federal government, the provinces and of course local emergency authorities, but I can also tell members that our ministers in the Canadian government are speaking with the premiers and their counterpart ministers on a regular basis. This is a team-Canada approach to deal with a very significant impact on our country.
In addition to this direct support to the provinces, our government has also announced that we will be matching all donations to the Canadian Red Cross for 30 days following this disastrous event. Through this program, the Red Cross will seek to address more immediate requirements for support for affected Canadians and their families.
Of course, we know how generous Canadians are. Right here in my community of Ottawa Centre, I am hearing from many individuals who want to know how they can help in the response and recovery. We encourage Canadians to donate to the Canadian Red Cross. The Canadian Red Cross, as many of us know, has previously been a partner to the Government of Canada in response to disasters like British Columbia's 2021 flooding and the Fort McMurray wildfires in Alberta. It has demonstrated an ability to provide impactful support to a significant number of people.
I would also like to recognize the efforts of all other partners involved in the ongoing response and recovery efforts. We know so many organizations like local NGOs, church groups and social service clubs are involved and engaged in helping the recovery. In the end, that is what communities and neighbours do for each other.
Our government commends the many NGOs that are already at work providing assistance to people affected by hurricane Fiona.
We know that while the storm is over, the response and recovery are truly just beginning. While it will take time for the full scope of the damage to be known, we recognize that provinces have already expressed concerns about the cost.
We continue to work closely with the affected provinces to identify all of the available federal resources that can help with the response and the recovery.
Our priority is to ensure the well-being of all affected Canadians, and we are committed to being there for them, now and throughout the recovery process.
Through the disaster financial assistance arrangements, the federal government can provide cost-sharing support when a natural disaster is so great that it challenges a province's ability to financially respond to it on its own. We stand ready to begin those conversations with the provinces, and we intend to be highly responsive to any request we receive. Helping each other in difficult times, just like we are seeing in our eastern provinces now, is just what Canadians do. That is what makes us so proud to be Canadian.
I encourage all members to continue to show their support for Atlantic communities during this exceptional time. Everyone in the House knows that we will get through this. We will get through this together and build even better communities in Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec.