Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convenes the Incident Response Group to discuss the 2024 wildfire season

CANADA, June 5 - Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the Incident Response Group with ministers and senior officials to discuss the 2024 wildfire season.

Recognizing the devastating impact that wildfires had on communities across Canada last year, the Group was briefed on the forecast for this year’s wildfire season and the current operational situation. They discussed Canada’s level of preparedness.

Ministers and senior officials stressed the need for all orders of government to prepare accordingly and discussed the plans or changes that provincial and territorial governments are making to be ready for another potentially challenging fire season. The Group discussed the readiness of the federal government to assist when an emergency cannot be managed at the local level. They emphasized the importance of providing emergency management support for Indigenous peoples and including Indigenous leaders in emergency planning and response. They noted the roles of federal partners, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Canadian Armed Forces, and recognized the importance of building response capacity through non-governmental organizations, such as the Humanitarian Workforce.

The Group expressed gratitude for the difficult and dangerous work undertaken by first responders to protect our communities. They highlighted the important role of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in co-ordinating interprovincial and international firefighting support. They also noted the efforts and generosity of Canadians across the country who step up when it’s needed most.

The Prime Minister, ministers, and senior officials reiterated that the federal government will continue to work with all orders of government to support emergency response and recovery efforts as needed over the 2024 season.

Information for affected Canadians

• Clients affected by wildfires can submit an eServiceCanada request online.
• Workers affected by the wildfires can apply for EI benefits online.
• Workers are encouraged to create a My Service Canada Account where they can view, verify, and update information for EI and other benefits delivered by Service Canada.
• As the delivery of physical cheques by mail may be impacted by wildfires, EI, CPP, and OAS recipients are encouraged to sign up for direct deposit by sending an eServiceCanada request or by contacting 1-800-O-Canada (1-800-622-6232) for further information.

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