Justin Trudeau started his second day on the campaign trail in Vancouver to discuss his party's plan to fund wildfire efforts.
Speaking from the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Liberal leader promised funds for more firefighters and new equipment before the 2022 fire season.
"A reelected Liberal government will invest $500 million ahead of the next fire season for the firefighters and equipment provinces need," he said at the press conference. "To begin with we'll train at least 1,000 more firefighters in communities across the country who'll be able to mobilize right away when a major burn starts."
That funding will also be used to support Indigenous-led fire crews.
"They have the knowledge about how to best protect their land and are on the front lines fighting these blazes every summer," Trudeau said.
Equipment would include new planes. While he didn't get into the specifics of where the planes would be built, he noted that Viking Air in Victoria has the ability to build what's needed.
Related to the wildfires would be an expanded retrofit program, which would include retrofits to prepare homes for more extreme weather due to climate change. A climate adaptation home rating program would also be created, to connect experts with homeowners to assess the structures.
Trudeau promised to work with the insurance industry to keep premiums down. Home insurance has been a growing issue for people living in B.C.'s Interior.
During the event, Trudeau also took press questions. When asked about unvaccinated travellers he said that was essentially a no go for mass transportation.
"Unless people have a medical exception they will not be able to board a plane or a train in Canada if they are unvaccinated," he said.
He also took questions on relief efforts for Haiti after the recent earthquake, the ongoing issues of sexual assault and harassment coming to light in the Canadian military and refugees from Afghanistan.
