The federal government is exploring the creation of a dedicated national emergency management agency aimed at reducing its reliance on the Canadian Armed Forces to respond to increasingly severe wildfires and other disasters.According to a Jan. 20 Department of Public Safety briefing note, Ottawa is examining options to strengthen the country's emergency response system, including establishing an agency similar to the United States' Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Officials say the objective is to improve coordination during major emergencies while allowing the military to remain focused on national defence."The Government of Canada is examining options to strengthen national emergency management including potential creation of a dedicated emergency management agency," the briefing note states. "The goal is to improve coordination, enhance readiness and reduce pressure on the Canadian Armed Forces to enable them to remain focused on their core mission of defence."The document says most emergencies are initially handled by municipalities and provincial or territorial governments, but federal involvement has expanded as disasters have become more frequent and more complex.Blacklock's Reporter said Ottawa's review comes as the Senate agriculture and forestry committee endorsed calls to centralize wildfire management in a June 10 report, Canada On Fire. The committee echoed concerns from the insurance industry that no single organization is responsible for overseeing Canada's growing wildfire challenges.The report noted that wildfires are typically managed first by local fire departments and municipalities before provinces or territories provide additional support when requested..The proposal also follows public opinion research commissioned by the Privy Council in 2025. Focus group participants expressed dissatisfaction with Ottawa's wildfire response, saying the federal government could have done more to help affected communities.While participants acknowledged the deployment of the Canadian Armed Forces had been valuable, they characterized the response as largely reactive rather than proactive.Respondents suggested Ottawa establish a national wildfire prevention task force, hire and train more firefighters and develop a strategy to rapidly deploy firefighting personnel wherever large wildfires break out across the country.Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski has also questioned Canada's growing dependence on the military during wildfire season.Speaking to reporters last Aug. 18, Olszewski said wildfire response is not the Armed Forces' primary responsibility and argued Canada needs to improve its emergency preparedness by strengthening equipment, resources and overall resilience to reduce the burden placed on the military.
