Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition on behalf of my constituents.
The petitioners highlight that the threat of wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters is on the rise as a result of climate change; that mass casualty events, including the 2018 Fredericton shooting and the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster, leave scars on their communities for years afterward; that evacuations, property loss, grief and uncertainty resulting from emergencies have shown to have lasting impacts on mental health and can exasperate mental illness; that, in November 2025, a grizzly attack on a school field near Bella Coola in British Columbia severely injured students and a staff member, leaving students and families in the wider Nuxalk community coping with ongoing trauma, which highlights the need for accessible mental health supports in remote communities; that Australia, New Zealand and the United States have introduced federal frameworks for addressing mental health following large-scale emergencies; and that the federal government is involved in emergency management, often in collaboration with provincial, territorial and indigenous governments.
The petitioners call on the federal government to support Motion No. 20 and work with provinces and territories, indigenous peoples, labour unions and other stakeholders to develop and implement a national strategy for addressing the mental health impacts of emergencies, including those arising from natural disasters and mass casualty events.