Across Canada, wildfires are causing extreme harm to Indigenous people and other communities, wildlife, forests, and our planet.

Year after year, wildfires across the country are worsening, driven by climate change and the effects of decades of industrial logging and forestry practices that prioritize profit over ecological integrity. Wildfires are driven and worsened by human activity and so it is our responsibility to address their causes and protect our forests and our communities.

We call on the federal government to deliver, in partnership with Indigenous nations, provinces, and territories, a pan-Canadian Wildfire Emergency Response Plan that a) protects communities; b) advances indigenous cultural practices and sovereignty c) supports the transition to ecologically sustainable forestry; and d) accelerates action to reduce Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from all sectors of the Canadian economy.

Unless we want to see this continue to repeat year after year, the time to act is now. We must act to protect our forests, our climate, and our communities.

For additional comment:
media@naturecanada.ca