Senate calls for national wildfire coordination centre

A Senate committee has called on Ottawa to take a stronger leadership role in wildfire response, recommending the creation of a single national point of contact to coordinate efforts across provinces and municipalities.

The recommendations come from the Senate committee on agriculture and forestry, which issued 15 findings after hearing from fire chiefs, provincial officials, and community leaders. Senators noted that Canada is the only G7 country without a federal seat at the table to manage and coordinate fire response.

"The crisis is growing and escalating, and we need government to do more," said committee chair Sen. Mary Robinson.

Under the current system, wildfires are handled first at the municipal level, then escalate to provinces before requests reach the federal government. That process wastes critical time during rapid-onset emergencies. Committee deputy chair Sen. John McNair said the multiple escalations and applications for assistance "take precious time at a critical moment when rapid response is most required."

The committee also called on Ottawa to "create and fund a national fleet of modern firefighting aircraft." While the federal government has leased 10 new aircraft, Robinson said that isn't sufficient. "I think it definitely will bolster the firefighting capacity in the short term, but this committee is calling for a long-term national solution—ideally involving renewing the current fleet and purchasing new planes so Canada can be more self-sufficient."

The committee further recommended that Ottawa create a national reforestation policy to plant more trees after wildfires. In its last budget, the federal government cut planned spending on tree planting.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski said she hadn't yet seen the full report but indicated the government is open to further discussion.