Help Fort McMurray: Ottawa to match Red Cross donations for Fort McMurray wildfire, Trudeau says
Some $11 million has already been donated to the Canadian Red Cross
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government will match individual donations made to the Canadian Red Cross to help those affected by the raging wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., as federal party leaders rose in the House of Commons to express their support for Albertans.
The continuing disaster forced Alberta to call a state of emergency on Wednesday after more than 88,000 people were forced out of their homes in and around Fort McMurray, sending evacuees to surrounding communities for shelter.
“Today, I’m pleased to announce that in addition to the government of Canada providing future assistance… the government will also be matching individual charitable donations made to the Canadian Red Cross in support of disaster relief,” said Trudeau, who was drowned out by applause from MPs across party lines.
“The outpouring of good will and compassion from Canadians right across the country has not only been inspirational, it has been entirely characteristic of who we are and the fundamental human values we share as Canadians,” Trudeau said in the Commons on Thursday.
Some $11 million has already been donated to the Canadian Red Cross, Jean-Philippe Tizi, vice-president of emergency management, told CBC News in an interview Thursday.
The federal government’s pledge comes a day after the Alberta government said it would match donations to the Canadian Red Cross in addition to providing the relief agency with $2 million in seed money to help kick-start operations.
Trudeau said the government had already initiated emergency airlift measures on Wednesday, dispatching a C-130J Super Hercules to Cold Lake, Alta. from the CFB Trenton base in Ontario and supplying four helicopters to evacuate people as the wildfire continues to rage out of control.
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