Emergency Debate on Catastrophic Flooding in BC

Mr. Speaker, this is my first speech in the House of Commons since 2019 and it is good to be back. I am proud to say I am visiting the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation from the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples including the Katzie, Kwantlen, Matsqui and Semiahmoo First Nations. I would like to begin by thanking the voters of Cloverdale-Langley City for returning me to Parliament – a testimony to the kind of representative that they want from their Member of Parliament, and Government.

I must thank all the volunteers who helped me over many months – I would not be sitting here if it were not for you all. Also, to my wife Elaine and children Kai, Hattie, and Kalani, thank you for always supporting me.

The devastating flooding in B.C. last week was heart-breaking to watch and continues to weigh on my mind as this parliament begins. This is especially true of the five individuals who lost their lives, two of whom were parents of a toddler they were on their way home to see – and those still missing. Considering how to avoid loss of life in the future should be the first priority as we rebuild.

Henry Braun, Mayor of Abbotsford – one of the worst hit areas – estimated that damaged caused to his city is $1 billion. $1 billion is the cost to just one city alone in the region. The most recent estimate for the total damage is over $8 billion. The economic impact on our infrastructure, to farmers, including half of B.C.’s dairy farmers, businesses, and to personal property is distressing. The scale alone should be cause for concern regarding our economic future. We need systems to mitigate economic disruptions during extreme weather.

The loss of animal life must be considered as well. Thousands of animals drowned from the flooding and died from being stuck in transports with no access to farms or feed. For farmers this is costly and to our domestic food security, disruptive, but also a sad state of animal welfare. Farmers and farm animals need emergency procedures for protecting animal welfare during these events.

The losses to our critical infrastructure, particularly bridges and segments of railroad are causing shortages in key household goods.  Gasoline is being rationed. Some of this infrastructure will take months to repair, posing challenges for our communities, provinces, and country.  Many of these routes move goods to and from Canada’s biggest port – the Port of Vancouver – and the rest of the country. For our food security and supply chains, how to withstand another event such as this needs to be central to the reconstruction of this infrastructure.

I must acknowledge how my constituency managed during the flooding. While Cloverdale – Langley City is close to Abbotsford and many of the hardest hit areas, it avoided the devastating flooding – this time. However, residents did face property damage that, as we emerge from COVID-19, is another economic hurdle to overcome. Some parts of my riding, are playing an important role in food security, including Hepple Farms. Working sandy loam soil, their crops withstood the rains and will be able to provide for the greater region as we experience losses in BC’s interior.

The effects of the flooding go far beyond the Lower Mainland though. Much of B.C.’s coast was impacted by flooding last week and is again, as I speak, experiencing further downpours of rain. Communities in the interior including Merritt and Princeton were also negatively affected.  Extreme weather events are not restricted to B.C. either. Atlantic Canada is simultaneously being subject to unprecedented rainfall and the prairies have suffered a terrible drought this year. Recovering from these events will take commitments from all levels of government.

Inaction will continue to cost society. Insurance claims will drive up insurance costs, and in some areas, insurance isn’t available if property is in a flood plain. This puts pressure on governments to help homeowners rebuild following these types of catastrophic weather events. No human life should ever be lost. Farm animals need to be protected. As does personal property.

With loss of life, economic impacts, animal welfare, and supply chains in mind, the catastrophic flooding last week is the most recent illustration, and perhaps the most significant, of how necessary climate adaption, mitigation, and resiliency are to Canada. Our country is warming at twice the rate of the global average. In the Arctic, it is three times the rate. Preventing warming past 1.5 degrees Celsius will mean for us, 3 degrees, and the Arctic, 4.5 degrees.

These effects are why our Government is ready to move faster of climate initiatives than we have before. We that demonstrated this year with our ambition targets of 40-45 percent reduction in our emissions; at COP26 by committing to ending thermal coal experts by 2030, capping and reducing the oil sectors emissions to net-zero by 2050, and aiming to cut our methane emissions by 30 percent no later than 2030.

Without these actions, the $8 billion cost of a single extreme weather event, will be more frequent and more costly. $8 billion dollars is about 3% of my province’s economy. It is simply not sustainable to be unprepared for extreme weather and climate change.

Our government is addressing this directly by including Canada’s first-ever National Adaptation Strategy in the Speech from the Throne. Reconstruction of infrastructure will need to include funding to ensure that future infrastructure can withstand extreme weather events like this and likely stronger. Our national strategy will need to include processes for protecting businesses and farms, including their animals. It will need to support stronger implementation of warning systems to avoid loss of life.

The floods last week were devastating, catastrophic. There is no other way to describe them, but they serve as a terrible reminder of the urgency and fortitude that our government, and every MP here, must act with to implement strong climate action to avoid such events in the future.  Our government has committed to assisting British Columbians with recovering, and with preparing for future extreme weather events.