Murray Wood: Who's scary... and who's scary good?
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Canadian crews are being put to use in the battle against wildfires that are devastating parts of Los Angeles, in a deployment that demonstrates Canadian expertise and sovereignty, Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said.
Sajjan said there was “no hesitation” to answer the call for help, with more than 60 Canadian front line firefighters heading to Los Angeles in recent days.
“This is just a reminder to everyone what good neighbours do,” he said Tuesday.
Canadian support for Los Angeles indicates the close ties between the two countries, Sajjan said, despite U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s recent tariff threat and his assertion that Canada would be better off as the 51st state.
Asked if he saw Canada’s support for Los Angeles as a demonstration of Canadian sovereignty given Trump’s remarks, Sajjan agreed.
“There is absolutely no mistake when it comes to our sovereignty,” he said.
“It is, I think, a reminder of our sovereignty, but it also is a reminder (of) how close our relationship is and how close we actually work together,” Sajjan said.
Canadian personnel deployed to Los Angeles include 40 wildland firefighters from Alberta, a firefighting crew and team of technical staff from B.C. specializing in logistics, aviation and fire weather, and waterbomber crews from Quebec.
In addition to the Quebec government planes, helicopters belonging to B.C.-based Coulson Aviation have also been deployed in the fight.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a post on social media that he spoke Tuesday with Canada’s consul general in Los Angeles, and Canadian firefighters were “on the ground, working shoulder to shoulder with American crews.”
“We’re proud to help our American friends, and grateful for the first responders working in the toughest of conditions to save homes and keep people safe,” he said.
B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said in a social media post that a team of 12 specialists from the province’s wildfire service arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, while 22 firefighters were driving down, a trip that was expected to take two days.
He said he met BC Wildfire Service staff on Monday “to discuss the impacts of the California fires and how they’re informing B.C.’s preparations” for the 2025 fire season.
Sajjan said more firefighters from the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario were getting ready for potential deployment should more help be required.
“The Ontario government actually moved ahead very quickly and got urban firefighters ready to go, about 300 if needed,” he said.
“Alberta has offered additional aircraft with night-vision capability. So, these are the things that we’re putting on the table.”
A statement from Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada on Tuesday said Ontario was preparing to send two waterbombers to Abbotsford, B.C., for deployment to California if requested.
Sajjan said Canadian officials want American authorities to know that if the situation worsens, Canada has a “suite of resources ready to go” to respond.
The wildfires around Los Angeles have killed at least 24 people, destroyed more than 12,000 buildings and scorched more than 160-square kilometres of land in under a week.
Strong winds predicted to reach hurricane force in some areas were challenging firefighting efforts.
More than 75,000 households, mostly in Los Angeles County, were without electricity Tuesday morning amid the high winds, according to Southern California Edison, which shut off power in areas of high risk to prevent their lines from sparking new fires.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2025.
— With files from The Associated Press
Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press
