Communities across Canada are experiencing more extreme weather events and natural disasters than ever before. Climate change is accelerating the frequency and severity of events like wildfires, flooding, and winter storms, which continue to disrupt lives, cause damage to critical infrastructure, and impact our supply chains. The Government of Canada is committed to reducing the impacts of natural disasters, supporting Canadian communities in adapting to climate change, and providing timely and effective assistance for those who have been affected as they recover and rebuild.
Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, announced an advisory panel that will review and make recommendations to update the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program.
The DFAA program provides financial assistance to provincial and territorial governments when response and recovery costs from natural disasters exceed what they could be expected to bear on their own. The increase in the frequency and cost of natural disasters in recent years has led to the growing cost of the program. The DFAA program review is being launched to ensure that an updated, sustainable system continues to be available to provinces and territories for disaster recovery.
The eight-member advisory panel chaired by Becky Denlinger, former Deputy Minister for Emergency Management in British Columbia, is a diverse group of experts with experience in the public sector, academia, non-profit, Indigenous communities, and the private sector. The panel will meet between now and September 2022 to review Canada's approach to post-disaster financing and reflect on how best to align these efforts with broader disaster mitigation and climate adaptation work. The panel is tasked with providing recommendations to the Government of Canada on how to improve the sustainability and long-term viability of disaster financing in Canada, improve DFAA program administration, and reduce disaster risks. The work of the panel will also include meaningful engagement with provinces and territories, Indigenous representatives, and other key stakeholders in the emergency management field. The panel will submit a report to the Minister of Emergency Preparedness in Fall 2022.
