Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for South Shore—St. Margarets.
I am usually pleased and honoured to rise in the House to speak. Often, I am called upon to speak to issues of the day. I am always grateful for the opportunity I have to speak out against things that I find unfair and to debate important issues. However, that is not the case tonight.
I am not at all happy to give this speech. I am sad, even. I have been very troubled and worried these past few days. I am, of course, talking about the wildfires that are raging across the country.
The wildfires have been the top news story for a few weeks now. The Government of Canada has never seen wildfires so early in the season. All these fires are having an unprecedented impact. If this unfortunate situation keeps up, Canada could see its worst wildfire season on record. All Canadians are worried about these wildfires. They are also worried about what will be left when this is all over.
In all, there are 400 active forest fires across Canada right now. Of those 400 fires, 155 are burning in Quebec. The surface area of the forest in Quebec is as large as France. In other words, the vast majority of our province is covered in forests and trees.
Let us consider the following: When the province is the victim of Mother Nature and we are struggling with these types of fires, it is a real environmental and human disaster. Fires are burning across the country. I am deeply saddened by this situation.
I want to talk about the regions of Quebec such as Saguenay and Abitibi that are experiencing the worst of the forest fires. An article on Radio-Canada this morning showed that Abitibi—Témiscamingue is the most affected region in Quebec. Schools will likely have to close tomorrow because the air quality has become too toxic. In fact, I want to commend the work of the member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue who is leaving this evening for Rouyn-Noranda. Everyone has to pull together in tough times like these.
The second most affected region is mine, Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean. I just came back from a weekend in my riding and people back home are really stressed out. There are currently 30 or so active fires in the region. Some are in my riding, but the majority are in the riding of my colleague, the member for Lac-Saint-Jean.
This is not an easy time for us as MPs, because we feel powerless in the face of disasters that are bigger than us. Citizens are coming to us for help. Sometimes those citizens have lost their homes or had to be evacuated.
The first fire to break out in my constituency was in Ferland-et-Boileau. As luck would have it, it started the day after celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the local forestry co-op. This small municipality is surrounded by trees, which put the residents particularly at risk. In all, 40 homes had to be evacuated because the situation had become too dangerous. Families were left homeless for several days. It is all very stressful for parents and children.
The second major fire took place in Rivière-Éternité, near the Montagne à Adrien, a few days ago. Once again, the forests in this small municipality fell prey to the flames. Approximately 30 residents were evacuated.
Furthermore, Marie-Médiatrice elementary school had to close for the day for safety reasons. Four water bombers and forest firefighters battled the fire for many hours. It was not easy to control the fire on the side of the mountain.
At present, fires are raging in the riding of my Bloc Québécois colleague, the member for Lac-Saint-Jean. A dozen fires are active in the ZEC Des Passes.
No emergency evacuation plan has been implemented, but the ZEC is ready in the event that a state of emergency is declared due to the smoke caused by the fire becoming thicker. The fire, located near Notre-Dame-de-Lorette in Lac-Saint-Jean, covers more than 5,600 hectares of forest. It is the largest fire in the region.
The spokesperson for SOPFEU, Josée Poitras, mentioned that this fire is deemed to be “out of control”. This is a great concern but, luckily, this very competent organization provides an update of the situation every hour to limit the damage before intervening directly with methods to stop the destruction, such as fire lines.
Fortunately, there has been no loss of life reported from the forest fires burning at the moment. That is due to the excellent work of the forest firefighters.
I would like to commend them for their bravery and their extraordinary efforts. Of course I would also like to thank SOPFEU, whose mission is to protect the forest as well as the infrastructure. I would also like to once again thank all the personnel who provide assistance to disaster victims and ensure that citizens feel safe, despite the conditions. They are essential and indispensable in these times of crisis.
Not only do fires devastate the vegetation and the wildlife, but they also mess up the air. Air quality in much of the province will be affected. Many schools are having to close their doors, because the situation is critical.
Quebec has requested 480 firefighters, 30 command teams and four water bombers. Ottawa needs to listen to what Quebec is asking for, because our province is in a very bad situation right now. The federal government needs to make an unwavering commitment, and it must be based on what Quebec is asking for.
To Canadians across the country, I want to remind everyone how important it is to refrain from going into the woods unnecessarily, and especially to not start any fires at home. The danger is real. Everyone needs to appreciate how serious this crisis is and work together.