Issue
Climate Adaptation & Disaster Response
Federal disaster response operates under the Emergency Management Act, the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (which reimburse provinces and territories for major disasters above a per-capita threshold), the federal Emergency Mobile Alerts system, and the Public Safety Canada Government Operations Centre. The 2024 federal Disaster Recovery and Adaptation Investment included roughly $530 million additional for the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements. Active 2024-2025 files: the 2023 record wildfire season (over 18 million hectares burned, the worst in Canadian recorded history) prompted federal-provincial-territorial coordination reforms; the National Adaptation Strategy was published in June 2023; Bill C-317 (national flood and drought forecasting strategy), Bill C-411 (Criminal Code arson offences for wildfire-causing conduct), and Senate Bill S-267 (Criminal Code aggravating factor during evacuation orders). Climate-driven mass relocation (notably in Quebec's Lac-Saint-Charles area and PEI's coastal zones) is now a recurring federal-provincial budget item.
Where parties stand
Compare side-by-side- Bloc QuébécoisBLOC
The Bloc Québécois supports increased federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements funding for Quebec (current DFAA funding flows through the federal-provincial framework with Quebec administrative responsibility), increased federal investment in Quebec coastal-erosion adaptation (Quebec's Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Gaspésie regions are highly vulnerable per Ouranos consortium projections), and the federal-provincial Canada Wildfire Service expansion in support of Quebec's SOPFEU (Société de protection des forêts contre le feu) which fought the 2023 record-breaking wildfire season that burned 4 percent of Quebec's productive forest.
Source - Conservative Party of CanadaCONSERVATIVE
The federal Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre prioritizes practical climate adaptation over mitigation policy, calling for expanded federal flood-mapping (currently the Department of Natural Resources Canada flood maps cover only about 60 percent of populated Canada per the 2024 IBC report), increased Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements funding to provinces (currently capped at $100 million per event), establishment of a national wildfire-fighting standing capacity (currently provincial responsibility under the federal disaster framework), and 50 percent federal cost-share on critical-infrastructure climate retrofits in the National Disaster Mitigation Program.
Source The federal Green Party calls for tripling the federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) funding ceiling (currently approximately $100 million per major event), creation of a permanent Canadian Wildfire Service (the 2023 wildfire season burned 18.5 million hectares per Natural Resources Canada, the worst on record), federal flood-mapping coverage expansion to 100 percent of populated Canada (currently approximately 60 percent), federal financial assistance for residential climate-resilience retrofits in flood-prone, wildfire-prone, and tornado-prone communities, and binding climate-risk-disclosure requirements for federally regulated financial institutions through OSFI.
Source- Liberal Party of CanadaLIBERAL
The federal Liberal Party under Mark Carney released the National Adaptation Strategy in November 2023, the first federal climate-adaptation strategy. The 2024 budget allocated $1.6 billion over five years for the strategy's implementation. The federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) framework provides cost-share to provinces; the 2024 federal increases raised the federal contribution. Created the Canada Climate Information Centre and the Federal Flood Insurance Program for high-risk residential properties (announced 2024, targeted launch 2025). The 2023 wildfires (Canada's worst on record at 18.5 million hectares burned per Natural Resources Canada) drove the file's urgency.
Source The federal NDP under Jagmeet Singh has called for tripling the federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) funding ceiling (currently approximately $100 million per major event), establishment of a permanent Canadian Wildfire Service (currently provincial responsibility under the federal disaster framework), federal financial assistance for residential climate-resilience retrofits in flood-prone, wildfire-prone, and tornado-prone communities, full implementation of the National Adaptation Strategy (released November 2023 with $1.6 billion in 2024 budget funding), and binding climate-risk-disclosure requirements for federally regulated financial institutions through OSFI.
Source
Bills affecting this issue
- Bill 50Provincial67th General Assembly of Prince Edward IslandThird reading
Climate Leadership (Adaptation) Act
PEI's climate-adaptation framework: coastal-erosion mapping, building-code updates, infrastructure-relocation funding.
- Bill 24Provincial43rd Legislature of British ColumbiaIn committee
Forest Stewardship and Wildfire Resilience Act
Restructures BC's wildfire-response framework after several record fire seasons.
- Bill 35Municipal65th General Assembly of Nova ScotiaThird reading
Coastal Protection Implementation Act
Forces the Nova Scotia government to bring the 2019 Coastal Protection Act into force.
- S-229Federal45-1In committee
An Act to amend the National Capital Act (Gatineau Park)
Gives Gatineau Park statutory protection.
- C-241Federal45-1In committee
An Act to establish a national strategy respecting flood and drought forecasting
National strategy on flood and drought forecasting.
- C-215Federal45-1First reading
An Act to amend the Marine Liability Act (national strategy respecting pollution caused by shipping container spills)
National strategy on pollution from shipping containers lost overboard at sea.
- S-289Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the National Capital Act (Gatineau Park)
Gatineau Park Act: first statutory protection and defined boundaries for Gatineau Park (Quebec).
- C-317Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to establish a national strategy respecting flood and drought forecasting
National strategy on flood and drought forecasting in coordination with provinces and Indigenous governments.
- S-267Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (aggravating circumstance — evacuation order or emergency)
Criminal Code aggravating circumstance during evacuation/emergency.