Blacklock’s Reporter broke a bombshell story, and it’s exactly the kind of government negligence Canadians need to hear about—because it’s being buried under a pile of political spin and climate talking points.

DOCUMENTS: @ParksCanada left 577,431 acres of dead pine as known fire risk at Jasper prior to 2024 fire with no controlled burns the previous year. @EnvironmentCa blamed climate change for disaster.  https://t.co/6btkkBnTMo @MBDan7 #cdnfoi @CEO_PC_DGA pic.twitter.com/xb9SxoGBcO

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) May 8, 2025

Access To Information documents reveal that Parks Canada left more than 577,000 acres of beetle-killed pine standing in Jasper National Park, fully aware it posed a catastrophic wildfire risk. And what did they do about it? Practically nothing.

In the entire year before the July 24, 2023 wildfire that destroyed 358 buildings and caused $1.2 billion in damages, Parks Canada conducted zero prescribed burns in Mountain Pine Beetle zones. In fact, over four years, they only removed 1,529 acres of deadwood—less than 0.3% of the known hazard.

Conservative MP Dan Mazier accuses the Trudeau government of being responsible for the Jasper wildfires tragedy, citing government officials' emails as evidence.

Government House Leader Karina Gould responds by claiming the emails were taken out of context and accuses the… pic.twitter.com/rFKMIZCNq9

— Juno News (@junonewscom) September 27, 2024

Yet when the inevitable happened, the federal government didn’t point fingers at poor forest management. No, they dusted off their tired excuse: climate change.

Then-environment minister Steven Guilbeault said the fire was “one demonstration of the impact of climate change.” Then-emergency preparedness minister Harjit Sajjan solemnly declared Jasper a “victim.” Not of neglect or inaction. Of global warming.

The Conservatives have produced email evidence that Parks Canada cancelled prescribed burns in Jasper for political optics under Guilbeault's watch.

They are roasting Harjit Sajjan at committee with it. pic.twitter.com/oDuVvP5qQx

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) October 2, 2024

But internal emails, released thanks to Conservative MP Dan Mazier, paint a damning picture. In one February 2024 message, Parks Canada staff actually discussed cancelling controlled burns—not because it was unsafe, but because “public and political perception may become more important than actual prescription windows.”

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says "it's simply not true" that federal authorities didn't use all of their resources to protect Jasper from fires.
He blames climate change for "aggressive forest fires" and praises efforts to save much of the town.https://t.co/FXXjpLVaDi pic.twitter.com/rUdoEI3ofY

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) July 29, 2024

Translation? They were more worried about media optics than protecting the public.

And this wasn’t some unforeseen crisis. Back in 2020, Parks Canada’s own VP Darlene Upton testified before the House environment committee, saying, “Obviously one of the big concerns is the dead trees and the fuel load.”

They knew. They sat on their hands. And when it all burned, they ran to the podium to push a narrative instead of taking accountability.

This is what happens when you manage forests with politics instead of science.

And if this is what “one of the most fire-prepared communities in Canada” looks like—God help the rest of us.

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