Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is deflecting criticism of his government’s response to the devastating wildfires in the northeast by blaming global warming and denying any part for careless forest management.
Biden recently dispatched 600 American firemen to Canada to assist in the fight against the fires that have been raging there for the past six weeks.
Yesterday, a smothering blanket of smoke swept south, bringing unhealthy air to New York City and causing mayhem in many other states as a direct result of the fires in the west.
The mayor of New York City ordered everyone to stay home (or at least to wear masks when going outside), and all flights to and from LaGuardia Airport were canceled. They were grounded again today, causing a domino effect of flight cancellations and delays that will cause chaos at airports across the United States and beyond.
Although the causes of the fires have not been determined, Canadian officials have been warned for years that improved forest management is necessary to prevent disasters like this one.
Multiple scientific assessments issued in the wake of the 2017 wildfires called for improved forest management in Canada, along with more spending, to reduce the danger of future conflagrations.
There were only supposed to be 23 controlled burning in Canada’s national parks this year. In 2019, there were 150,000 in the US.
Prescribed fires, also known as controlled burns, are an essential part of forest management that have been shown to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
The goal is to safely remove the young trees, dry bushes, and grass that make up the forest’s tinderbox understory.
During his tenure at Parks Canada, Mark Heathcott oversaw the burns section for 23 years. In 2016, he stated that Canada lagged “way behind” the United States in terms of managed fires.
A lot of talk, but not much action, from most agencies. He said, “People don’t realize the benefit of fire.”
Canadian indigenous communities claim that government officials have prevented them from conducting necessary controlled burns.
Trudeau, however, ignored that fact and instead placed all of the responsibility for the fires on global warming.
As temperatures rise, more and more forest fires are breaking out.
Everyday activities, lives, and livelihoods, as well as air quality, are all being disrupted by these fires.
‘We’ll keep working – here at home and with partners across the world to confront climate change and mitigate its repercussions,’ he tweeted.
As late as 2021, indigenous communities and forest specialists in British Columbia were demanding action.
Just strike a match,’ he said. However, according provincial policy, heavy machinery is required at the construction site.
“They want big hoses, they want a lot of equipment and high-priced personnel,” former Yune’it’in government leader Russell Myers Ross told CBC in 2021.
