M-12 Office of the National Fire Administration

That:

(a) the House recognize that,

(i) Canada has around 3,200 fire departments of which approximately 80% rely solely on volunteer firefighters,

(ii) the scale and complexity of events Canadian fire services are expected to respond to have increased dramatically in recent years and that trend is anticipated to continue,

(iii) all levels of government in Canada are involved in aspects of fire and emergency management,

(iv) collaboration and strategic coordination are necessary to prepare for major emergencies and ensure efficient use of resources,

(v) there is a need to integrate a fire and emergency management perspective into policy and decision making for other issues, including, but not limited to, housing, green technology, transportation, tariffs, first responder mental health, and defense; and

(b) in the opinion of the House, the government should work in collaboration with the country’s fire chiefs to establish the Office of the National Fire Administration located within Public Safety Canada.