Advancing civilian response capacity in Canada

Ottawa – Communities across Canada are more and more often facing the realities of extreme weather events and natural disasters – like wildfires, flood and hurricanes. Large-scale emergencies, including non-weather related threats like pandemics, have devastating impacts on communities and can quickly overwhelm emergency response resources. The Government of Canada is committed to taking action to keep Canadians safe and improve our overall resiliency.

Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister Responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, announced the launch of targeted engagement with a broad range of emergency management partners and stakeholders to help inform options on what a pan-Canadian civilian response capacity model could look like in Canada. Key partners and stakeholders will include provinces and territories, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous leaders, voluntary and youth organizations, private sector, academia, and other key emergency management stakeholders.

Through this engagement, the government is looking to understand current capacities, gaps and limitations on key topics relating to emergency response and gather insights and views on ways to more efficiently leverage these capacities following large-scale emergency events in Canada. Engaging with partners and stakeholders across the country is critical to ensure views and expertise are reflective of the unique needs of each jurisdiction. Anyone working in the emergency management field in Canada can share their views online. Online submissions will be accepted until March 31, 2024.

Emergency management in Canada is a shared responsibility across all sectors of society. Together, we can help communities and Canadians recover more quickly after an emergency and continue providing critical support in times of need.