'You failed to protect the town': Guilbeault dodges accountability over Jasper fire

Sheila Gunn Reid
  |   September 26, 2024   |   Be the first to comment

Thursday night, members of Parliament grilled Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault over his shocking lack of oversight leading up to the devastating fire in Jasper National Park. Conservative MP Blaine Calkins, a former Jasper warden, led the charge, demanding Guilbeault take responsibility for the disaster that left 358 buildings destroyed.

“When are you going to take responsibility?” Calkins asked, after Guilbeault insisted it wasn’t his job to “micromanage 4,000 Parks Canada employees.”

Guilbeault seemed more interested in dodging blame than addressing the root cause of the fire — years of neglect in forest management and fire preparedness.

Conservative MP Dane Lloyd hammered the minister on the years of ignored warnings by forestry experts about the potential for a catastrophic fire in the park. "You failed to protect the town of Jasper! You are not showing any humility."

Documents show that Parks Canada was well aware of the fire risk posed by thousands of hectares of dead pine, left behind after a beetle infestation. Yet, despite the clear warning signs, Parks Canada failed to remove this massive “fuel load.”

Calkins didn’t mince words, calling out the government’s inaction: “It’s the driest, most easily burnable wood there is, and you have done nothing.” Instead of owning up to the failure, Guilbeault deflected, claiming it wasn’t his job to direct fire preparedness.

As the fire’s destruction continues to wreak havoc on Jasper, Calkins pointed out the obvious: “Everybody knew this was coming.” But Guilbeault, sticking to the party line, blamed climate change for the catastrophe, ignoring years of mismanagement.

With a third of Jasper gone and two thousand people homeless, the question remains: when will this government be held accountable for its disastrous failures?

Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.

https://mybook.to/sheila

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