Ottawa-Senator Rob Black is seeking approval from the Senate for a study on the growing challenge forest fires pose to the agriculture and forestry sector as well rural and Indigenous communities. He also wants the study to examine what wildfires do to water systems, air quality, food security and biosecurity as well as the federal government is doing to adequately monitor and organize a response to wildfires. The committee should also consider possible improvements to how the federal response to wildfires compares to international best practices. …Meanwhile federal cabinet ministers released a forecast of weather trends for 2024 and talk about how Ottawa is preparing to deal with wildfires this year after last year’s wakeup call events. …The federal Government Operations Centre is the lead for federal response coordination for emergency events affecting the national interest and works in close collaboration with federal organizations, non-governmental organizations and provincial emergency management partners.

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