Senator Simons: According to Little Red River chief, Chief Conroy Sewepagaham, their federal allocation is $1.1 million per year — a number that hasn’t gone up since 1997. The community of Fox Lake, with almost 3,800 people, has no doctor; they have four nurses and two paramedics. The community also needs federal support to build a bridge and to expand its airstrip. After this immediate crisis is over, will your government commit to meeting with the Little Red River Cree Nation and to addressing the long-term health and infrastructure needs of Fox Lake?

Hon. Paula Simons: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

The Little Red River Cree Nation is one of the largest First Nations in Alberta, with a population of over 6,700. It is also one of the most isolated, deep in the northern boreal forest of Alberta. In early May, one of the nation’s three constituent communities, Fox Lake, was caught up in a huge Paskwa wildfire, which started that first week in May and is still burning across almost 100,000 hectares.

Fox Lake has no roads in and out. Without support from the province or the federal government, the band was able, over the course of three desperate days, to evacuate 3,600 people by water, using river barges and canoes. For those too weak or ill to travel by water, two small planes were used to medevac people using Fox Lake’s tiny airstrip, flying people out eight at a time. The good news is that everyone got out safely. The devastating news is that hundreds of homes were destroyed, and 1,700 people now have nowhere to live.

The Little Red River Cree leadership has been scrambling to find supports for their community, but it is difficult to get building equipment and supplies to Fox Lake. Can you tell us what emergency reconstruction aid the community can expect from the federal government to deal with this immediate crisis?