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The Rt. Hon Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Dear Prime Minister Harper,
On behalf of the 20,000 professional fire
fighters the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) represents in
Canada, I am writing to commend and personally thank you for your government’s
commitment to public and fire fighter safety as demonstrated by the decision to
allocate funding for the implementation of the IAFF Hazardous Materials Training
and Chemical, Biological, Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) response programs in
Canada.
The funds that your government has allocated in
Budget 2007 to conduct these programs in Canada over the next two years are a
landmark investment in the safety and security of Canadians and Canadian first
responders and the nation’s ability to protect its citizens from the aftermath
of a terrorist attack or other major disaster.
The training provided to fire fighters and other
first responders through the IAFF programs in communities across Canada will
complement existing federal government initiatives and greatly assist in our
shared goal of ensuring that all Canadians are protected by first responders who
are trained to respond safely and effectively to haz-mat and CBRN incidents,
whether those incidents are the result of deliberate and malicious actions,
industrial accidents, natural disasters or other causes.
I look forward to meeting with officials from
your government as soon as possible to begin discussions about the
implementation of the IAFF programs in Canada, and I pledge the full
co-operation of our IAFF staff and membership throughout the planning and
delivery of these programs over the next two years. All of our resources and
expertise are at your disposal.
Again, we are grateful that your government has
recognized the need for additional hazardous materials and CBRN training and
acted decisively with Monday’s announcement to fund the IAFF training programs
in Canada.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Lee
Assistant to the General President for Canadian Operations
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