Gord Johns and his petition to repurpose our 'left over' C-130s
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to table this petition on behalf of petitioners from my riding of Courtenay—Alberni, who are on the front line of wildfires this season. They highlight that the increase in intensity and cost of wildfires in Canada, not just in British Columbia but across the country, requires bold and timely action.
Without a national air tanker fleet, each province must weigh the cost of purchasing or contracting aviation resources, with no guarantee that resources will be available when and where they are needed most. Fighting wildfires and addressing the climate crisis demands a wartime level of effort and commitment. Other countries retrofit retired military aircraft for aerial firefighting and providing rapid response capability and national resilience.
The conversion of Canada's retired CC-130 Hercules fleet into state-of-the-art air tankers would protect communities and critical infrastructure, and it would help meet climate commitments by reducing catastrophic carbon releases from wildfires.
The petitioners cite that they are calling on the government to work in partnership with the private sector, in collaboration with potential first nations partners, to retrofit a portion of Canada's retired CC-130H Hercules fleet into large air tankers for wildfire suppression; deploy these aircraft as part of a strengthened national wildfire response capacity, to be shared with provinces and territories and, where appropriate, to be available for international humanitarian and emergency response missions; and, finally, prioritize this made-in-Canada solution, which leverages Canadian engineering and global expertise and delivers clear benefits in protecting lives, communities and the environment.
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