Mostly located near the woods from which they get their food, the indigenous people of Canada are often the first to be driven out of their homes during intense forest fires and the last priority for the Canadian Fire Department to return. Due to indigenous communities often being miles away from the rest of civilization, the natives are often the last people to be allowed to return to their homes after lengthy evacuations.
Since Canadian firefighting policy in the northern regions, where indigenous people often make their homes, is to let the fires burn, the natives are often the worst hit, as the forests that they need to feed themselves are burnt down with no end in sight. According to the New York Times, Kurtis Black, the fire chief in Nemaska, expressed doubt on the effectiveness of such a strategy, saying, “I don’t think these fires will stop until everything is burned. These fires are here to stay until fall gets here — or the snow.” However, sharing the other perspective on the argument, the New York Times reports that Quebec’s Wildfire Agency believes that the policy is necessary, citing a lack of resources to tackle the fires in the area.
The New York Times also reports that “Since May, hundreds of wildfires across Canada have burned more than 47,000 square miles of forest, an area the size of New York State, and have displaced more than 25,000 Indigenous residents from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, according to government officials” (nytimes.com, 2023), aptly stating the effects of the now widespread Canadian wildfires, the intensity of which has been linked to climate change. With higher heat, the forests have become drier, perfect for a slight spark to erupt an inferno. Such an effect is already happening, as Mr. Wapachee, one of the residents of an indigenous community, explains, stating that, “Before, if we had fire, it was only in one place. Now it seems to be a fire here, a fire there, fire everywhere” (nytimes.com, 2023).
Since Canadian firefighting policy in the northern regions, where indigenous people often make their homes, is to let the fires burn, the natives are often the worst hit, as the forests that they need to feed themselves are burnt down with no end in sight. According to the New York Times, Kurtis Black, the fire chief in Nemaska, expressed doubt on the effectiveness of such a strategy, saying, “I don’t think these fires will stop until everything is burned. These fires are here to stay until fall gets here — or the snow.” However, sharing the other perspective on the argument, the New York Times reports that Quebec’s Wildfire Agency believes that the policy is necessary, citing a lack of resources to tackle the fires in the area.
The New York Times also reports that “Since May, hundreds of wildfires across Canada have burned more than 47,000 square miles of forest, an area the size of New York State, and have displaced more than 25,000 Indigenous residents from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, according to government officials” (nytimes.com, 2023), aptly stating the effects of the now widespread Canadian wildfires, the intensity of which has been linked to climate change. With higher heat, the forests have become drier, perfect for a slight spark to erupt an inferno. Such an effect is already happening, as Mr. Wapachee, one of the residents of an indigenous community, explains, stating that, “Before, if we had fire, it was only in one place. Now it seems to be a fire here, a fire there, fire everywhere” (nytimes.com, 2023).