Mr. Speaker, every day in communities across Canada, that we have the honour of representing, men and women in the Canadian fire service, Canadian firefighters, put their lives on the line. They do so for the citizens in my community of Burnaby, the citizens in Cornwall, Montreal, and in communities across this land.
Today I want to once again urge the Liberal government to listen to the strong appeal from Canada's firefighters to establish a national hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction training program for Canada's first responders. As the parliamentary secretary, who will be responding on behalf of the government, well knows Canada's firefighters have been seeking funding in the amount of $500,000 to establish this program in Canada for some time now.
It is a program which is already in place in the United States. In fact, because the program's curriculum and administration are already in place and well established in the United States, virtually all of the funding for this program in Canada would go toward actual instruction.
Most Canadian cities and towns do not have dedicated HAZMAT teams or specialized CBRN response training. That means the majority of Canadians are not adequately protected from the aftermath of a terrorist attack.
There was a situation near the University of Guelph where firefighters in that community were forced to consult their guidebooks after a van carrying radioactive material overturned. They did not have the kind of comprehensive training in that instance that they should have had and that all firefighters across this country should have.
I introduced a motion last year in the House calling on the Government of Canada to provide additional funding to Canadian firefighters which would enable them to participate in the International Association of Fire Fighters hazardous materials training for first responders program, thereby providing them with the skills necessary to respond effectively in the aftermath of chemical or biological attacks. This is one of the three key recommendations that Canadian firefighters have brought before the Parliament of Canada.
It is essential that as Canadians we recognize that we have a responsibility to listen to these concerns. Firefighters have talked about the importance of funding this program. They have called for changes to the Criminal Code of Canada that would increase the severity of punishment for criminal acts that kill or injure firefighters.
Recently, for example, a firefighter from my community of Burnaby, John McQuade, was in a grow-op situation in which his life was at risk. He said that we must come down much tougher in circumstances like that, and I agree. Firefighters have also called for a national public safety officer compensation fund in Canada.
It is long overdue for the government to recognize that out of the $7.7 billion allocated for national security after September 11, surely it can come up with $500,000 to fund this important program. It is not the military but firefighters who are the first on the scene in the event of a terrorist attack. I call upon the government to finally act on this. Let us not have any more excuses for delay. The time to act is now.
