The ongoing investigation into the Jasper wildfire is set to intensify, with the Conservatives proposing a motion to extend the study by four additional meetings.
Conservatives set forward a motion that calls for additional testimony from forest management experts, stakeholders, Indigenous communities, and impacted individuals during the four additional meetings.
“Over the last two weeks, an alarming amount of evidence has been released at the environment committee that shows Minister Guilbeault was negligent in protecting Jasper, wrote Conservative MP Dan Mazier in a post to X, where he shared the motion.
The investigation so far has uncovered several issues, said Mazier.
Guilbeault’s senior officials were found discussing the cancellation of prescribed burns for “political” purposes months before the fire, which caused nearly $1 billion in damage and destroyed a third of the town, resulting in over 360 square kilometres of burned or partially burned area and 358 destroyed structures.
Mazier also said the investigation revealed that the top officials at Parks Canada could not say how many hectares of dead pine remain in Jasper.
True North previously reported that a Jasper official said Parks Canada’s fire prevention staff was so confident in their firefighting abilities that they intentionally allowed dead wood to collect inside of the national park.
Peter Scholz, who was hired by Parks Canada in 2008, estimated that by last summer, close to 40% of Jasper National Park trees were standing deadwood killed by pine beetle infestation.
Former Conservative MP and current Mayor of Yellowhead County, Jim Eglinski, testified in the House of Commons in 2017, warning about the pine beetle infestation.
“Residents are concerned for their own safety and that of the visitors and the security of their homes. With a high risk of wildfire fueled by a forest devastated by the pine beetle, have the liberals put a plan in place to protect this park?” he asked.
Another thing revealed by the investigation was that Parks Canada turned away firefighters who arrived on the scene.
Fifty firefighters and 20 firetrucks were turned away by Guilbeault’s office when they arrived in Jasper to help fight the fire, revealed Conservative MP Blaine Calkins.
President of Artic Fire Safety Services Kristopher Liivam testified that they were deemed “non-essential” and were ordered to leave by Parks Canada.
He also revealed that Parks Canada ordered hydrants for Jasper with different threading than those used in other Alberta and British Columbia municipalities, which meant that only seven compatible adapters were available.
At one point, Liivam said his crew was forced to watch structures burn because they could not connect to the nearby hydrant due to its incompatible threading.
The statement provided by Liivam “should warrant a deeper investigation into this agency’s fire mismanagement and overall role as guardians of Canada’s most important and cultural assets,” he said.
At one point, the committee chair stopped Liivam from testifying, arguing that the interpreters could not interpret him. However, various people testified in French directly after and had no issues with interpretation.
Alberta’s Minister of Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, testified that Alberta increased the firefighting budget by 55%, from $101.4 to $155.4 million. The province also increased its contingency amount from $1.5 to $2 billion, a 33% increase.
Alberta’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, said the province tried to help fight the fire by being included in the unified command.
He said that the Liberals’ Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Harjit Sajjan, was not opposed to Alberta being in the unified command and a decision-making position. However, Minister Guilbeault was.
Guilbeault and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have a long history of not getting along.
“Canadians are demanding answers,” said Mazier when sharing his motion to X. “We won’t stop until we get them.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday that Randy Boissonnault will serve as Ministerial Lead for Jasper despite Boissonnault facing a separate ethics probe at the committee level.
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