POND INLET, Nunavut –
The premiers of the northern regions are calling for the establishment of a national emergency response system to deal with natural disasters, which they fear will become more frequent.
After a meeting this week in Pond Inlet, Nevada, they said the wildfires and floods of recent years have highlighted the need for nationwide coordination.
According to RJ Simpson, Premier of the Northwest Territories, Canada is one of the few G7 countries without such an agency.
According to Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai, local politicians and First Nations leaders are already talking about how they can work together when their communities are threatened by wildfires or floods.
Nunavut Premier PJ Akeeagok said wildfires had even occurred in his territory.
The NWT deployed more firefighters and to more locations earlier this year.
“It’s time we looked at a coordinated system,” said Simpson, who was forced to leave the town of Hay River in the Northwest Territories last summer.
Fires broke out throughout the area from the northern tip of the Beaufort Delta to the South Slave region, and the capital, Yellowknife, was evacuated.
“We are a small jurisdiction. These massive natural disasters are increasing to the point where they exceed our capacity,” Simpson said.
The Prime Minister said his territory was grateful for the generous support it had received from the Canadian federal government and the provincial and territorial governments.
However, he said a better system was needed as climate change created the conditions for more frequent emergencies.
“There is still a lot of work to be done,” he said. “It’s a new world now, given the impacts of climate change.”
The premiers also called on Ottawa to invest more and more quickly in infrastructure, such as roads, ports and airports that can be used for both military and civilian purposes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2024.
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