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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from Halifax West for this very important question and for the strong advocacy of all of our colleagues from Nova Scotia.

Let me first take the opportunity to commend the incredible hard work being done by firefighters, first responders and community volunteers, who have been working tirelessly to protect Nova Scotians throughout this event.

We are hearing reports that many homes have been lost, and our thoughts are with the over 16,000 people who have been displaced during this extremely challenging time. My office has been in regular contact with our provincial counterparts. I spoke with Minister John Lohr of the provincial government this morning to ensure that they will have the support they need. Our shared priority is the safety of all Nova Scotians. We will be there to help all of those impacted as they recover from this tragic event.

Mr. Speaker, there are currently 179 wildfires burning in Canada, 68 of which are out of control. Those fires are in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Over 20,000 people have been evacuated from their communities, and nearly a million hectares of forest have been lost to these fires. Frankly, this season has begun weeks ahead of what we would normally anticipate. These fires are occurring at unprecedented levels.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by acknowledging the incredible work of firefighters, first responders and volunteers who have stepped up and are supporting those who have been displaced.

Here today, we have heard a lot about the cost of fighting climate change, but we have evidence before us this week of the cost of inaction. When we fail to respond, we can see that literally tens of thousands of people are displaced from their homes, over 700,000 hectares of forest are burned, and the cost of assisting those people through recovery is unsustainable. We have to take action and we are.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity, if I may, to answer this question by giving members an update on the situation that is going on across western Canada. There are currently 209 wildfires burning in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, 75 of which are out of control. Mostly hot, dry and windy conditions in the next week will continue to exacerbate things for those communities. There are close to—

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

Mr. Speaker, I want to take the opportunity to speak about the situation Canadians are facing particularly across western Canada, where there are 209 wildfires burning, 75 of which are burning out of control. Unfortunately, mostly hot, dry and windy conditions over the next week will exacerbate the situation, and shifting winds have pushed smoke across the country, impacting a number of urban communities, Calgary and Winnipeg in particular. Close to 30,000 Canadians have been evacuated from their communities.

The Government of Canada is there for those Canadians. We have deployed Canadian Armed Forces resources, the Canadian Red Cross and additional police resources. Together we will be there for the people of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan through this very difficult time.

Mr. Speaker, there are literally thousands of Albertans who have been significantly impacted by the wildfires. However, I also want to say that, throughout the past weekend, I have been in regular contact with my counterpart in the Alberta provincial government, Minister Ellis. The Prime Minister and the premier spoke earlier today, and about an hour ago, we received a request for federal assistance from the Province of Alberta. Everybody is working to help those people and to make sure that the supports that are needed are there for them to keep them safe and to make sure that we help them through this very difficult time.

I will take this opportunity as well to offer my very sincere thanks to all the first responders and firefighters, who are doing an extraordinary job.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank my hon. colleague, the member for Calgary Skyview, for his question on behalf of the people of Alberta. If I may, I would like to express my gratitude to the firefighters, first responders, emergency management individuals and indigenous leadership right across Alberta.

Canadians are there for each other. We have been working very closely with the Province of Alberta throughout this event. This afternoon, we received a formal request for assistance, and we have been working all weekend to identify the appropriate resources.

If I may, I would also like to point out that this week is Emergency Preparedness Week, and we urge all Canadians to know their risks and be prepared.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne for sharing her condolences.

Our deepest condolences go out to the families of firefighters Christopher and Régis Lavoie. They went out in the middle of serious flooding to do their jobs and to save lives, and we mourn their loss as we recognize their sacrifice. As Charlevoix and the Quebec region begin to recover from these floods, I have reached out to Minister Bonnardel to offer both our condolences and our support.

We are monitoring the flooding conditions very carefully across the province. We will continue to stand ready to ensure that the province has the assistance it needs in response and in recovery.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, the member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie has a very important question. I want to join him, as I believe does every member of the House, when expressing my concern and thoughts for all of the communities of Quebec that have been impacted. In particular, we extend our sincere condolences to the families of Christopher Lavoie and Regis Lavoie, the firefighters who rushed to save lives and appear to have lost their own lives.

We immediately deployed Canadian air force aircraft to search and engage in the initial search, and I have reached out to Mr. Bonnardel of the Quebec government to offer all federal support as required, and to assure him that our government will be there for the people of Quebec—

Mr. Speaker, the disaster financial assistance arrangement, which is organized and managed by the federal government, works very closely with all of the provinces. We worked with the Province of Quebec, in particular, on a number of the disasters that have impacted that community. We have always been there for it. When those receipts are submitted to the government for reimbursement, we have been able to act expeditiously in every case.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to refresh the memory of the member opposite. On December 18, 2020, I wrote that member, and every member in this House, a letter advising them about the threat of foreign interference, and particularly the threat that China represented to our political integrity. That information was shared with every member of this House, bringing it to their attention. As well, we articulated the steps that the government was taking to protect our democratic institutions.

The Liberal government has been alive and alert to that threat, and has taken action to protect our institutions.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to subsection 63(2) of the Emergencies Act, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the public inquiry into the 2022 public order emergency.

Pursuant to the order made on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, this report is deemed referred to the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the commission for its very hard work and all of our officials for their dedication to making sure this report was completed on time.

Madam Speaker, I rise to advise that an agreement could not be reached under the provisions of Standing Order 78(1) or 78(2) with respect to the second reading stage of Bill C-32, an act to implement certain provisions of the fall economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 3, 2022 and certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022.

Therefore, under the provisions of Standing Order 78(3), I give notice that a minister of the Crown will propose at the next sitting of the House a motion to allot a specific number of days or hours for the consideration and disposal of proceedings at the said stage.

Mr. Speaker, there is a very significant problem with the member's theory, which is based entirely on speculation, innuendo and conjecture.

He ignores the facts, and here are the facts. At no time did I or the government attempt to interfere in police operations. I did not direct, ask or even suggest to the commissioner that she release that information and the commissioner herself has testified under oath, “I did not receive direction and I was not influenced by government officials regarding the public release of information”. Those are simply the facts.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times in the House, the independence of police operations is a key principle in our democracy. It is one that our government respects.

I would like to remind the House that, in May of 2020, the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes rose in the House and demanded to know why the government was not releasing information on search warrants, production orders and closed warrants related to the Nova Scotia massacre. At that time, I was forced to rise in the House to explain to that Conservative member, as I did to all members, that our government does not interfere with ongoing criminal investigations, and the RCMP is responsible for the information that he sought.