OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recalled meeting Pvt. Aidan Goulding and posing for a photograph with him months before the young soldier was killed in the catastrophic fire at CFB Wainwright.Poilievre, whose Battle River—Crowfoot riding includes the military base, told the House of Commons on Monday that Goulding was among a group of young soldiers who approached him for a photograph during Canada Day celebrations at the base in July.After Saturday’s tragedy, someone sent Poilievre the photograph and identified Goulding as one of the four soldiers killed.Goulding, from North Vancouver, was serving with the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.Poilievre paid tribute to Goulding and the three other soldiers killed in the fire: Sgt. Morgan Wong of Edmonton, Pvt. Shaun Farrell of Prince Albert, Sask., and Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark of Langley, B.C.He also recounted hearing reports of soldiers running toward the flames to help their comrades as the fire swept through the training area, calling their actions extraordinary displays of courage..Poilievre said many of the injured suffered severe burns and could require weeks or months of intensive care, with some facing injuries that will permanently change their lives.Prime Minister Mark Carney told the House that approximately 50 investigators are examining the incident. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is leading the investigation with support from the RCMP.“A fire was burning in the training area,” Carney said. “Driven by ferocious winds, the fire jumped nearly a kilometre in less than a minute to where soldiers were gathered.”Carney said investigators had not determined what ignited the fire.The House observed a moment of silence before Carney and opposition leaders addressed the tragedy.The four soldiers were killed Saturday while members of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and Army reservists conducted live-fire training as part of Exercise Apollo Shooter.According to National Defence, high winds caused the fire to grow rapidly and overtake the unit’s administrative area.Thirty-nine Canadian Armed Forces members were injured. Nineteen were reported in critical condition Sunday, eight were stable and 12 were receiving treatment for injuries that did not require admission.Military officials said they knew a fire was burning nearby but believed it was sufficiently contained for training to continue. A sudden wind shift then drove the flames across established firebreaks and toward the soldiers.Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland said investigators will examine the decision to continue training and determine whether military safety procedures need to change.Carney called the incident “one of the worst tragedies for the Forces on Canadian soil in peacetime.”“The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our Armed Forces whom we have lost,” he said.Flags on federal buildings, including the Peace Tower, were lowered to half-mast.Carney thanked military and civilian firefighters, STARS air ambulance crews, medical workers and residents who provided food, shelter and support during the emergency.“The people of Wainwright are taking care of their own,” he said.Carney said the soldiers had been preparing to respond to international emergencies and reinforce Canadian troops in Latvia next spring.“Those we lost were training to defend Canada. To serve Canada,” he said. “Now Canada serves them.”Carney pledged that the government would support the families of those killed and care for the injured throughout their recovery.“They will not carry it alone,” he said.
