Ottawa should consider permanent workforce to tackle natural disasters, committee says

A House of Commons committee is calling on the federal government to consider creating a permanent disaster management workforce that can be mobilized quickly in the event of wildfires, hurricanes and other natural calamities.

But the new report by the parliamentary defence committee, quietly tabled on Wednesday after more than two years of study, is vague on what that force should look like and what its mandate should be.

The report stops short of suggesting the creation of a full-fledged federal disaster management agency like the United States' Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Instead, the four-party committee seems to suggest — among the 16 recommendations in its report — that Ottawa simply take a more active role in coordinating and (in some cases) backstopping provinces and municipalities, which take the lead when natural disasters strike.

The study was launched to address the strain the escalating number of climate-related emergencies has placed on the Canadian Armed Forces.

Through 18 months of testimony, the committee heard how provinces experiencing natural disasters are increasingly turning to the federal government to plead for military assistance. Instead of being the force of last resort, the army is often the first call for overwhelmed provincial governments.

Conservative members of the committee, in a supplementary to the main report, sought to deliver a stronger message.

«It is imperative that provinces and territories invest more in their own emergency management, disaster mitigation and response assistance,» said Conservative MPs James Bezan, Cheryl Gallant, Pat Kelly and Dean Allison.

The committee was told by top national security officials and military leaders that successive federal governments