Military’s move to charge for help causes alarm
Municipalities and provinces worried
OTTAWA — Confusion and concern have greeted news the Department of National Defence will be billing provinces and municipalities whenever the military is called upon to help in disasters and humanitarian emergencies such as floods and wildfires.
National Defence says it has always had the authority to recoup costs incurred by the military when it provides such assistance, but for the past 15 years it has waived that authority.
That changed in July when, because of federal budget cuts, the Defence Department quietly decided to begin invoicing provinces, municipalities and other government departments in most cases where the military’s assistance is required.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities president Karen Leibovici said she was surprised and concerned with the change, which was never broadcast to municipal governments in the country.
“The reality is that to put that kind of burden on municipalities is quite surprising,” she said. “To have a line drawn because there’s a billing issue is not good for municipalities, and it’s not good for Canadians as a whole.”
Leibovici said she was hoping the decision could be reversed because the impact would be significant.
“It needs to be looked at from the perspective of what is needed from Canadians to meet their needs during an emergency,” she said. “Recognizing that we’re all in this together.”
The change has also prompted questions from the Manitoba government.
“In the last three decades, Manitobans have battled two of the largest floods in the
NDP JACK HARRIS
DEFENCE CRITIC
province’s history,” provincial spokesman Jean-Marc Prevost said. “While the Canadian military was called in as a last resort in the flood fighting effort, they proved essential in helping protect lives and property.”
Prevost said the Manitoba government had not received any communication about the change, “and we expect the federal government to continue sharing the costs of protecting Manitobans from natural disasters.”
The Defence Department’s
“For them to say they’re now going to charge people is preposterous.”
decision to start charging on a cost-recovery basis is outlined in an internal memo to Defence Minister Peter MacKay from July that was obtained by Postmedia News.
“Whilst DND has typically waived the cost of CF assistance to other government departments over the past 15 years,” the memo reads, “given present fiscal restraints, the department is no longer in a position to routinely waive the often significant costs associated with this assistance.
“Going forward, the waiving of such costs must be the exception, rather than the rule,” the note adds.
A department spokesperson confirmed the decision was finalized in July.
Opposition parties have also condemned the decision, with NDP defence critic Jack Harris saying it represents “misguided priorities” by the Defence Department.
“Communities should not have to look at their wallet before deciding whether they need help in a natural disaster,” he said.
“Are we now going to send disaster relief for Haiti but send a bill to Manitoba? For them to say they’re now going to charge people is preposterous.”
In the past two years, Canadian soldiers have helped fight flooding in Manitoba and Quebec, and evacuated, housed and fed Northern Ontario communities threatened by forest fires.
The costs borne by the military varied from nearly $4 million for the flooding in Quebec and $3.8 million for the flood mitigation in Manitoba to $51,000 for evacuating and feeding those communities in Northern Ontario.
It was unclear whether the changes would also apply to other assistance provided by the Canadian Forces, such as search and rescue.