Ford calls for national firefighting strategy, lambasts Trump comments

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is advocating for a comprehensive national firefighting strategy, emphasizing the need for enhanced trans-Canadian coordination amid a severe wildfire season. The province is currently battling nearly 200 wildfires, forcing 13 communities to evacuate.

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We need to support from the federal government, they have been very good, have given us 2-8 planes, spray the fire retardant down, but we need a large national fire strategy.

Ford stated that while federal support, including the provision of aircraft for fire retardant, has been helpful, a larger national plan is essential. He pointed to recurring wildfire challenges faced by various provinces annually, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

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We seem to be going through this every single year, if not ourselves, (then) out in Manitoba. If you remember last year and a little bit in Saskatchewan and Alberta and B.C. and Quebec. Right now in Nova Scotia. So right across the country in fire season.

This call for a national strategy echoes a similar request made by Canada's premiers to the federal government last summer. At a leaders' summit in 2025, premiers agreed on a joint statement urging the federal government to provide flexible funding for emergencies and to assist in establishing national standards and coordination protocols.

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That’s a new one that we started discussing in light of the fires that are being experienced across a lot of provinces. So we started the conversation on what provinces need to be able to respond as quickly as possible and what level of communication is helpful, and what level isn’t.

However, critics in Ontario question the provincial government's preparedness, suggesting it has been reactive rather than proactive. They point to a consistent pattern of overspending on firefighting, with the province budgeting $135 million in 2024 but spending $171 million, and a budget of $150 million for 2026 falling short of the $271 million spent in 2025. Critics argue that funding needs to be available upfront, rather than requiring services to seek reimbursement after the fact.

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So the funding is set at about $150 million, but we know that they spent about twice that amount last year, and they’re probably going to have to spend a lot more this year.