November 4, 2008
The Rt. Hon Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Dear Prime Minister Harper,
On behalf of International Association of Fire
Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger and the 20,500 professional fire
fighters we represent in Canada, congratulations on your re-election as Prime
Minister. I know that the best interests of all Canadians will serve as your
guide throughout the 40th Session of Parliament.
As you know, the IAFF conducts a grassroots
legislative affairs program that makes the Government of Canada and individual
members of parliament aware of issues in the federal jurisdiction that are
important to professional fire fighters.
Through this program, we have cultivated a
positive relationship with you and your caucus in recent years and together we
have advanced a critically important issue involving the nation’s ability to
respond to a major disaster of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN)
nature through your decision stemming from Budget 2007 to fund the IAFF’s
Hazardous Materials and CBRN Response training programs in the amount of $2.5
million over five years.
This decision recognized that fire fighters, who
are on the scene of any emergency large or small in a matter of minutes, are a
nation’s first line of defense. The IAFF remains grateful for this funding and I
am pleased to report that training for first responders has already occurred
using these funds, and we are positioned to meet our goal of training over 1,600
fire fighters, police officers and paramedics annually to respond safely and
effectively to incidents of a CBRN nature.
The IAFF will be holding our 16th Canadian
Legislative Conference in April, 2009 in Ottawa. During the conference,
professional fire fighters from across Canada will be coming to Ottawa to meet
with their MPs to discus additional issues on the IAFF’s federal legislative
agenda, for example the need to establish a national Public Safety Officer
Compensation (PSOC) benefit for the families of fallen fire fighters, the need
for a national office for fire service statistics and other issues.
We will also be raising these issues in detail
with the appropriate members of your Cabinet and throughout the 40th Session of
Parliament with individual members from all parties. We look forward to the same
constructive dialogue as we have enjoyed with your government in the past, and
we look forward to a continuation of our work together to advance issues
important to Canada’s professional fire fighters.
Please do not hesitate to contact the IAFF
Canadian Office anytime we can be of assistance to you during the 40th Session
of Parliament. In the meantime, congratulations again on your re-election and
best of luck with your duties.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Lee
Assistant to the General President for Canadian Operations
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