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Manitoba’s Premier Wab Kinew has sharply criticised a group of US lawmakers for attempting to "trivialise" Canada’s ongoing wildfire crisis, which has claimed lives and forced mass evacuations. The rebuke comes after six members of Congress wrote to Canada’s embassy, urging stronger action to tackle wildfires, claiming the resulting smoke is disrupting summer activities for Americans.
Speaking on Thursday, Kinew expressed frustration, saying, “This is what turns people off politics. When you’ve got a group of congresspeople trying to trivialise and make hay out of a wildfire season where we’ve lost lives in our province.” He praised US firefighters assisting in Manitoba and challenged the lawmakers to witness their efforts firsthand. Manitoba, currently battling 104 active wildfires, declared a state of emergency for the second time this summer. The blazes have forced evacuations in remote communities, including Garden Hill Anisininew Nation, home to 4,000 people, and Snow Lake, with a population of 1,000. The Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed to assist with evacuations. The wildfires, worsened by climate change-driven hot and dry conditions, have scorched over four million hectares across Canada this year, marking the highest year-to-date figure since the record-breaking 2023 season. Manitoba and Saskatchewan have been hit hardest, with a May blaze in Lac Du Bonnet claiming two lives and destroying dozens of properties. Smoke from the fires has drifted into the US, prompting air quality advisories. The US lawmakers’ letter complained that their constituents “have been limited in their ability to go outside and safely breathe” due to the smoke, urging Canada to improve forest management. Canada’s embassy responded, stating that the country takes wildfire prevention “very seriously.” Natural Resources Canada noted that wildfires, often sparked by lightning (93% of cases in 2023), are a natural part of boreal forest regeneration but have intensified due to climate change. Canada, warming at twice the global rate, faces increasingly severe fire seasons. Kinew’s comments underscore the tension as Canada grapples with a deadly crisis while facing external criticism. The situation remains critical, with more hot, dry weather forecast.
