Mr. Speaker, it is a huge honour and privilege to rise tonight in support of Bill C-241, otherwise known as the national strategy on flood and drought forecasting act.
Rapidly shifting weather patterns and the existential threat posed by climate change have made extreme weather events more common and more devastating than ever. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, in 2023 and 2024 alone, drought-induced wildfires claimed about 22.5 million hectares of land, which is just over one-third of all hectares burned in the past 20 years. Floods, meanwhile, caused roughly $800 million in insured damages annually between 2014 and 2023.
We know that catastrophic weather events are both a symptom of and a contributing factor to the climate crisis we all face. However, mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events is not just an environmental issue; it is also a fiscal issue. Last week, the Parliamentary Budget Officer projected that spending on the disaster financial assistance arrangements will reach $1.8 billion annually between 2025 and 2034, making the next 10 years of disaster relief costlier than every single extreme weather event serviced by the DFAA since its founding in 1970.
This is not just a cost to government, either. In 2024, catastrophic weather events caused a record $8.5 billion in covered damages, squeezing insurers and everyday Canadians further during a cost of living crisis. GHD, a global engineering and architecture services firm, projects that the overall financial toll to Canada will reach at least $139 billion over the next 30 years. The cost of inaction is high and rising exponentially, making bold climate action the only fiscally responsible choice.
Further, it is a mental health imperative. On October 8, I put forward a motion in the House calling for a national strategy to address the mental health impacts of emergencies because the impacts of extreme weather events ripple far beyond the disaster itself. The trauma and grief that are often caused by losing homes, loved ones and a sense of security to extreme weather events cause and exacerbate mental health challenges for far too many Canadians.
It is also deeply important for reconciliation with indigenous peoples and justice for rural communities. Wildfire displacement disproportionately impacts first nations and indigenous communities, with indigenous people representing approximately 40% of all wildfire evacuees.
Earlier today, I spoke with Leah Main, a councillor in Silverton and a director of the Regional District of Central Kootenay. I would not say she is a city councillor, because her community is quite small. It is a town. She is here on FCM lobby days. She pointed out that despite rural communities being the places where climate mitigation is most necessary, they often do not have the capacity to adequately monitor or prepare for extreme weather events. We need to do better in supporting those small, rural communities.
As the federal NDP critic on emergency preparedness, I have been consistent in my support for proactive coordination across all levels of government to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events. That is why I presented motions to establish a national fire administration for better coordination and a national aerial firefighting fleet as crucial measures to bring resources, information and true partnership to Canada's emergency preparedness systems. New Democrats have also championed the call for a youth climate corps to mobilize young Canadians looking for work toward renewable energy projects, emergency response efforts and more, to support climate mitigation and adaptation. We hope to see these priority investments for a climate-resilient Canada reflected in the upcoming federal budget.
As we advance the important work of climate change mitigation, Bill C-241 is a promising step in the right direction. Establishing a national strategy on flood and drought forecasting would have the potential to improve monitoring infrastructure in communities across Canada. If it is properly resourced and done in true partnership with provinces, territories, local communities and first nations and indigenous communities, better monitoring would support climate mitigation efforts, thereby saving lives, preventing devastation to local economies and tackling Canada's mental health emergency.
As far back as 2016, I have spoken in the House calling for a national flood strategy, so I appreciate the work done by the member for Terrebonne on this very important issue. I congratulate her for putting forward this private member's bill.
New Democrats will always stand up for working Canadians, rural communities and indigenous peoples. We will stay involved in the consultation and implementation process to ensure that those most impacted by extreme weather events are top of mind in the government's national flood and drought monitoring strategy.