Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Oakville West.
I want to preface the messages that I have tonight by saying that I have always promised as a candidate, before having the courtesy of serving as the MP for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, to tell our stories, so I have come here to share with the people of Canada and the House of Commons some of the challenges, some of the opportunities and some of the aspirations of many of my constituents back home.
Unfortunately, tonight it is a story of fires, of how families have lost their lives, their belongings and their homes, and of how businesses, as we speak, are burning. There are so many brave people trying to do their very best, yet despite the fact that we always speak of Saskatchewan's resilience and of northern Saskatchewan's people's strength and resilience, it is devastating to see that some homes have been burned to the ground and that families have scurried out of our communities in a hurry so their lives do not become threatened.
As we speak, a number of homes have burned. Some say it is as high as 150 homes in Denare Beach. Some say it is 30 homes in Sucker River. There are businesses burning in La Ronge, which is one of the biggest towns in my riding, as we speak, and there are some very brave men and women trying to fight back. Despite the smoke and the impending fire that will be coming their way, many of them are still at the front line trying their darndest to save their homes. This is not a movie. It is really a tragic time for the people of Canada.
I spoke about telling the stories of the people who are bravely out there, and there are many leaders who certainly have answered the call as well. I want to share a few comments, which I think are really important.
One such leader is Chief Peter A. Beatty of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. He said:
We've already seen over 5,500 members [of our community] evacuated, and the situation is changing by the hour. With wildfires forcing full evacuations in Denare Beach and Pelican Narrows—and thousands more at risk—we are facing an escalating crisis. Many of our communities are becoming boxed in due to road closures and limited evacuation routes. We are doing everything possible on the ground, but this situation is beyond our capacity to manage alone.
The next leader is Chief Joyce Naytowhow McLeod of Montreal Lake Cree Nation. Chief Joyce said:
These wildfires are pushing our communities to the edge, and the situation is growing more serious by the hour. We’re seeing the toll this is taking—on our families, on our health, and on our homelands. This joint declaration reflects our urgency and our unity. We are asking for timely and coordinated action so that our Nations can continue to protect our people with the full backing and partnership of government.
Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte of the Prince Albert Grand Council said, plainly and simply, “This is the time for real partnership and immediate action.”
Bruce Fidler, the mayor of the town of Creighton, Saskatchewan, said that for eight days now, there has been a fire burning right on their doorstep. For the first two or three days, it was basically their local volunteer firefighters working on this fire. The SPSA then brought in some firefighters, but not nearly enough. With high temperatures and high, uncooperative winds, air support has been very inconsistent. They have been asking for everyone they can think of to come and help because they are in dire need of more firefighters and other resources. Their neighbouring community has lost numerous homes and infrastructure. This fire is now on three sides of them, and they are in desperate times. He said he is cognizant of proper protocol, but they need help, whether from the province or the federal government. They are working to save their community and residents and need support.
A young mother, Shayna Richie, from Denare Beach, said that she just got confirmation that her whole house burned down and her whole neighbourhood is gone.
These are some of the quotes of the many people who are impacted by this wildfire. As I mentioned at the outset, the devastation is complete.
There is something we have to say as MPs for that area. We are telling Canadians that it is time for us to look at the wildfires of the west and help the cause in some way, with a telephone call, a donation or even just prayers, because we are battling a huge crisis in northern Saskatchewan. It is my home territory. It is my home riding.
Some people may wonder what I am doing in Ottawa when I should be with my communities and my people. I came home several days ago, and I came back to Ottawa after visiting my home communities and seeing the devastation first-hand. I am now going back in a couple more days. Canada has to realize that these families, these areas and these regions need our assistance. As I said at the outset, when I was asked a question about how we can help and make things better, the answer is that the federal government is ready and standing by to help.
One of the reasons I am here in Ottawa is to tell the people of Canada that the west has always been a proud part of our country. They need our understanding now, and most certainly they need our help. Sadly, in this day and age, wildfire season has become a permanent fixture for too many people across our great country, but as I mentioned, the people of Saskatchewan, and in particular the people of northern Saskatchewan, are resilient.
Tonight is a tough night for them. The next several weeks are going to be tough for them, and the next several months even tougher. Through helping each other, supporting each other and, quite frankly, in many ways praying for each other, I think we will survive this storm, but boy, there are a lot of people who are hurting and who are devastated by what is happening in my own community.
I will tell the people of Canada that, yes, I wish that I was there right now, but I am not; I am here. I am telling them that the northern part of Saskatchewan is burning up, as it is in Manitoba, and we are here to share their stories and push hard to tell them that there is hope.
I want to recognize all the folks who have done tremendous work: the first responders, the Red Cross, the leaders, the men and women who are helping care for the evacuees and the evacuees themselves.
This is not something that we simply speak about. We need to have action attached to words. Once again, I will say that from our perspective as a federal government, we will be there for Manitoba, we will be there for Saskatchewan and we will be there for all of Canada.