Canadian Prime Minister accuses U.S. lawmakers of ‘trying to trivial’ wildfire

A Canadian prime minister accused a group of U.S. lawmakers who asked the country to do more to address wildfires that it “try to make” deadly situations.

Smoke in the fire makes it difficult for Americans to enjoy summer, six members of Congress In a letter to the Canadian Embassy this week said.

The Manitoba Prime Minister has just announced the second time this summer due to active fire, praising the U.S. firefighters who assisted the province.

“I’ll challenge these ambulances in the U.S. Congress to do the same and hear the American fire heroes here love our province,” Wab Kinew said Thursday.

He added: “That’s what gets people out of politics. When you have a group of MPs trying to trivialize and take hay from the wildfire season where life is lost in our province.”

As of Thursday, there were 104 wildfires in Manitoba, some of which were classified as out of control, according to the Canadian Forest Fire Center (CIFFC).

Anisininew Nation (about 4,000 people) was subject to a mandatory evacuation order Thursday after the fire approached the community.

Snow Lake, another town 590 kilometers (366 miles) northwest of Winnipeg, was also evacuated. It has 1,000 people.

Officials said both communities were out of reach under a mandatory evacuation order, and members of the Canadian Armed Forces had been called to help residents leave.

Garden Hill Anisininew Nation chief Dino Flett called it “an unprecedented devastating time” for his community.

Kinew said the emergency declaration will help the province gain more shelter for shelters.

Wildfires are not uncommon in the Canadian summer, but have intensified in recent years.

So far, more than 4 million hectares of land have burned across the country. This is the highest annual figure since the worst wildfire season in Canadian history since 2023.

The most intense provinces this year are Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which declared a state of emergency earlier this season.

In mid-May, a fire killed two people in Lac du Bonnet in Manitoba’s Lodge State. Dozens of properties in the area were also destroyed.

The effects of wildfires also go beyond Canada’s borders and the United States, with smoke in the south driving air quality consultation.

“Our voters’ ability to breathe safely is limited due to the dangerous air quality caused by wildfire smoke,” U.S. lawmakers said in a letter to the Canadian ambassador.

They urged Canadian officials to do more to prevent fires, including improved forest management.

The Canadian Embassy told the BBC that Canada is “very serious” in preventing wildfires.

According to the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources, wildfires are part of the natural cycle and play a crucial role in the regeneration of forests in northern Canada.

Many are caused by lightning strikes. According to the Canadian Climate Research Institute, 93% of Canada’s fires are caused by lightning in 2023.

Scientists link the worsening wildfire season to warm and dry weather caused by climate change, a problem that has had a significant impact on Canada.

According to scientists, the country’s warming is due to its larger amount of land, at a rate of twice the global average, and its Arctic region is three times the rate of warming.