Today, the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, joined by Corey Hogan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Kelsey Winter, Executive Director of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC), announced the availability, starting in the 2026 wildfire season, of 10 new firefighting aircraft and two firefighting support assets through contracts established by CIFFC.
Provincial and territorial wildfire agencies can now request access to deploy four aerial firefighting air tankers, one birddog plane, five heavy lift helicopters, and two support assets via CIFFC. These assets will increase national aerial surge capacity by improving provincial and territorial access to aircraft during periods of elevated wildfire activity.
Through Budget 2025, the federal government invested $316.7 million over five years to establish a new national aerial firefighting surge capacity. With this investment, CIFFC leased 10 new aerial firefighting aircraft and two firefighting support assets starting this wildfire season through contracts with Conair Group Inc., Coldstream Helicopters, and VIH Helicopters. As the first national assets, these additional resources mark an important expansion in Canada's firefighting capacity.
Emergency management in Canada is a shared responsibility among all orders of government, Indigenous communities and non-governmental organizations. By strengthening partnerships and building wildfire response capacity, the federal government is showing leadership that bolsters national preparedness and ensures communities receive timely support when it matters most.
