The IAFF welcomes the Canadian election result and is prepared to work with the Liberal minority government and MPs from all parties to continue advancing fire fighter and public safety issues.
“We congratulate all MPs elected to the House of Commons on September 20 and look forward to collaboration from all parties on the issues that matter most to Canadians, and the issues that we bring forward on behalf of Canada’s professional fire fighters,” says IAFF Assistant to the General President for Canadian Operations Scott Marks.
The minority Liberal Government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mirrors the government in place since 2019, under which important advances on reducing harm from toxic chemical flame retardants and referencing fire fighter safety in the National Building Code were achieved. During recent editions of the Canadian Legislative Conference, MPs from all political parties, including the Conservatives, NDP, Greens and Bloc Québécois had voiced support for the issues.
During the election campaign, the IAFF educated members and the public about fire fighter issues and about the parties’ histories with the IAFF and their positions on fire fighter issues by registering with Elections Canada as a Third Party under the name Fire Fighters for Canada.
The IAFF will be engaging the new Parliament and its members as soon as they’re sworn in and will be raising important issues such as wildland response training and continued emergency funding for municipalities so they can maintain vital frontline services, such as a fire and ambulance. After successive virtual editions of the Canadian Legislative Conference were held in 2020 and earlier this year, an in-person edition of the conference will take place in April 2022 in Ottawa if COVID-19 protocols permit.
The IAFF always exercises its right to be politically active at the federal level in Canada. In advance of the 2015 federal election, the IAFF secured important commitments from both the Liberal and NDP parties on key fire fighter priorities. Following the election, the Liberal government acted quickly and established a National Action Plan on first responder post-traumatic stress and established the Memorial Grant Program for First Responders, which shas paid a total of $42.9 million to the families of 143 Canadian IAFF members who have died in the line of duty since April 1, 2018.
The Liberal government also established Firefighters National Memorial Day, which is observed on the second Sunday each September.
