Ottawa lets down Indigenous communities in wildfire, flood response: Auditor General – National

The Auditor General of Canada says the federal government has failed to give First Nations communities the support they need to respond to emergencies like wildfires and floods, despite warnings about this nearly a decade ago. ten years.

Karen Hogan released an audit of the management of emergency management by Indigenous Services Canada, which found little had changed since a 2013 audit.

It says there have been more than 1,300 emergencies in First Nations communities over the past decade, forcing more than 130,000 people from their homes and traditional lands.

The audit indicates that Indigenous Services is too reactive when it comes to handling emergencies, instead of taking preventative measures to mitigate damage in the event of floods, fires and landslides.

The department spends three and a half times more money to help first nations recover from a disaster than it spends to help them prepare.

Hogan also says the federal government has yet to compile a list of communities least equipped to deal with disasters.