Liberal MP denied ‘bureaucratic negligence’ burned down Jasper to justify carbon tax

A Liberal MP went on a tirade Tuesday, suggesting those who claim Jasper purposely burned down are foolish. He ignored internal Parks Canada correspondence suggesting bureaucratic negligence may be the cause.

During debate at the House of Commons, Liberal MP Adam van Koeverden, the parliamentary secretary for the environment, claimed any accusation of neglect was “astonishing.”

Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant earlier asked the member of Parliament if his Party “intentionally” allowed a third of Jasper to burn over the carbon tax, prompting an aggravated response from van Koeverden, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

“Those Members opposite ought to be absolutely ashamed of themselves, that they would insinuate any government would allow a park to burn,” he said. “It’s that kind of rhetoric that leads to the misinformation and disinformation that leads to Canadians feeling less confident about science.”

https://twitter.com/rebelnewsonline/status/1841564831976952079

Those comments come after the July 24 fire tore through 358 buildings and 32,700 hectares in and around Jasper. 

MP van Koeverden attributed ‘climate change’ as the leading cause of wildfires in the country. “Our planet is literally burning up,” he said.

The parliamentary secretary did not reference internal Parks Canada communications, suggesting dead pine were not removed from Jasper National Park for political considerations. The UNESCO world heritage site suffered more than $2 billion in damage this summer.

Paula Simons, a Liberal-appointed senator from Alberta, previously slammed critics of the Agency as “conspiracy addled.” She mocked criticism of its forest management practices.

MUST WATCH: Arctic Fire Safety mustered 50 experienced wildland firefighters and 20 trucks to help save Jasper. They were denied entry multiple times, then denied access to water supplies, and were told to stand down and let properties burn by Parks Canada officials. pic.twitter.com/nMiKQWpecU

Former Conservative MP for Jasper, Jim Eglinski, spoke of a scientist fired for questioning Parks Canada's ineffective forest management. 

Eglinksi, a local, recounted their plethora of warnings to hen-environment minister, Catherine McKenna and Parks Canada officials that had been ignored for years.

Kris Liivam, of Arctic Fire Safety, testified October 7 that his efforts to muster 20 fire trucks and 50 highly-trained firefighters were for naught. He was told to stand down or he would be arrested and escorted from the area.

A Parks Canada scientist who came forward with concerns about the lack of fire mitigation efforts in Jasper was terminated. pic.twitter.com/lJXx83Rpv0

Park managers have warned the Environment Department of the fire risk for two years, expressing concern that 44% of its Whitebark Pine forest was killed by pine beetles. 

Parliament in 2021 only budgeted $2.2 million a year to combat beetle infestations blamed for killing pine trees. 

“We have been doing the mechanical clearing,” van Koeverden claimed on Tuesday. “We have been doing controlled burning.”

Agency documents confirmed managers were slow to cut down beetle-infested pines or perform controlled burns. 

“Fire has not yet been applied for Whitebark Pine restoration,” said a 2022 Implementation report. Mechanical clearing of dead trees only happened in “a small area,” it said.

The number of controlled burns in national parks fell annually from 28 to 13 during the Trudeau government’s first term in office. That fell further during the pandemic. 

Parks Canada have yet to release data on their forest management leading up to the disaster, raising suspicions among locals and experts. It will withhold all information, including acreage of dead pine left, until May 2, 2025.

Darlene Upton, vice president of Parks Canada, admitted to the presence of thousands of hectares of dead trees before the infestation.

“Obviously one of the big concerns is the dead trees and the fuel load,” Upton testified at 2020 hearings of the Commons Environment Committee. “We are ramping up our efforts,” she added. 

Alex Dhaliwal

Calgary Based Journalist

Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.