2026 Wildfire Season

[Altair]

The CAF being deployed on fires has very little to do with firefighting and lots to do with optics.

There are existing mechanisms to discourage requests for the CAF, ie charging the provincial governments for all costs associated with the CAF deployment.
The sale of the C-130s to Coulson will do more for firefighting in Canada than deploying CAF ground troops as type 3 teams.

Forget discouraging.

Should be flat out refused.

 

[YZT580]

They can clear deadfall around cities to keep the fries from rapidly gaining fuel sources and keep the towns and cities from burning to the ground.
They can assist with floods, other "extreme" weather events around.
Lots of "disaster" prep that can be done across the country to assist leading up to the situations that is not being done until it is to late.

two years less a day used to get you on one of those teams doing exactly those tasks.

 

[MilEME09]

Forget discouraging.

Should be flat out refused.

Flat out refusal would look bad, but on a case by case basis things need to be assessed. Do we really need 250 troops doing clean up work? Or would JTACs helping coordinate water bombers be better? Delivering mod tent for provincial officials to set up housing for evacuees? Couple field kitchens and a hand full of cooks to feed them?

Looking at past operations some times I feel we are used as a hammer not a scalpel

 

[Cloud Cover]

Flat out refusal would look bad, but on a case by case basis things need to be assessed. Do we really need 250 troops doing clean up work? Or would JTACs helping coordinate water bombers be better? Delivering mod tent for provincial officials to set up housing for evacuees? Couple field kitchens and a hand full of cooks to feed them?

Looking at past operations some times I feel we are used as a hammer not a scalpel

The Constitution needs to be changed to allow Provinces to set up a proper civil guard, with the authority of the Federal executive to call it up for national civil emergencies or to facilitate inter-provincial movement of guard units.
Not a national guard, but a civil guard with natural (or other caused) disaster response responsibilities. Organized, ranked, funded, trained, uniformed and equipped by Provinces with some federal help where it makes sense but not out of the DND budget except for maybe cross over equipment and supplies. We have a working template with our many excellent mountain search and rescue teams in BC who perform the lions share of non oceanic SAR work in BC. Whatever they are doing, it works!

Staffed primarily the way US state guards and national guards are staffed. (Part time, volunteer call up or whatever).

And lots of badges, medals, awards and other gongs. Probably a band.
But definitely NOT a military organization that fits into the NATO spending rules. Or it will become a federal circus.