Ottawa is deploying Canadian Rangers to help evacuate northern Quebec communities threatened by wildfires. Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said today the government will also help fly people to safety. Quebec’s forest fire agency says there are 134 wildfires burning in the province, including 93 in the zone that includes several Cree communities. Canadian Rangers…

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says staff in his office and department aren’t to blame for not informing him of Beijing threats to MPs and has repeated that Canada’s spy agency is at fault. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) “had Top Secret information that they felt that I should see, and clearly, the process…

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said 2023 is Canada’s worst wildfire season on record, and while rainfall will bring relief for Quebec in the next few weeks, associated lightning storms could raise the risk of new fires. “Thunderstorms can increase the risk of fire activity due to lightning strikes, and warmer temperatures are also beginning…

Three federal departments have confirmed that their senior leadership was provided with an intelligence assessment from Canada’s spy agency that highlighted the Chinese regime’s attempt to target MPs. The information is highlighted in an order paper filed with the government by Conservative MP Michael Chong on May 5—four days after the Globe and Mail published…

Former public safety minister Bill Blair says that a secret memo prepared by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to inform the federal government of Beijing’s targeting of Conservative MP Michael Chong never reached him at the time because it was sent to the wrong office. “Just to be very clear, CSIS did not brief me…

A senior official who received a briefing on Chinese regime threats to MPs told a committee that the transmission of information had functioned as expected and that the report did not warrant being shared immediately with the prime minister. “I would submit that the system did function according to the protocols that were in place…

Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season of the 21st century. Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair announced the grim milestone Monday, saying more than 47,000 square kilometres have burned so far this year, with 431 wildfires currently burning across Canada. One of those continues to threaten the Alberta community of Edson, where 8,400 residents remain…

As wildfire smoke continues to blanket much of eastern Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government is looking at creating a new national disaster response agency to deal with extreme weather events. “We need to continue to make sure we are doing everything possible to both keep Canadians safe when these extreme weather events…

As several provinces struggle to contain out-of-control wildfires, federal officials warned on June 5 that Canada will likely see an “especially severe” wildfire season. “Our modelling shows that this may be an especially severe wildfire season throughout the summer,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference in Ottawa. Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair told…

A foreign agent registry would provide the federal government with “important tools” and would represent a significant step in enacting a “legislative response” to current allegations of foreign interference, says Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair. “I think Parliament does have a very significant role to play here—a responsibility,” Blair told the House of Commons Standing Committee…