On Parliament Hill

Last week, the Honourable Steven Blaney, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, announced that the upcoming National Disaster Mitigation Program will begin April 1, 2015. It will reduce flood-related costs for all levels of government.

To strengthen Canada’s emergency management approach, we are shifting from a reactive model to one that allows us to better identify, plan for, and prevent flood risks. Through this program, the Government of Canada will provide provinces and territories funding to help share the costs of flood mitigation measures; improving resiliency against floods, which currently account for the majority of payments through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements.

Our Government is also making modest adjustments to the DFAA, for the first time in 44 years, to ensure that this funding continues to be available to Canadians in a more sustainable way. To ensure that the program is sustainable for Canadians, beginning in January 2016, the threshold will be indexed to keep pace with inflation going forward.

The Government of Canada will continue to cover up to 90 per cent of eligible expenses for disaster recovery as requested by the provinces and territories at the most recent Premiers Conference in Charlottetown, re-affirming the support of the federal government to help subsidize the costs of major natural disasters.

The Government of Canada is committed to supporting Canadians in their times of need, and these adjustments, coupled with the ongoing annual inflation review, will ensure that this critical funding continues to be available for future generations.