Canada government on sidelines as fires rage, awaits call for help

By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, May 6 (Reuters) - Canada's government and army have
largely been invisible as huge fires rip through the
economically critical oil sands region of Alberta, a reflection
of a constitution that curbs Ottawa's power.
The federal government has so far provided four Griffin
helicopters, one Hercules transport plane and 7,000 cots to help
Alberta cope with a fire that forced the evacuation of around
90,000 people from Fort McMurray.
This limited response reflects the limitations of Canada's
constitutional make-up. The 10 provinces have broad
jurisdictional powers, which means Ottawa can only intervene if
formally asked to do so.
"Emergency management is a shared responsibility between all
levels of government in Canada," said Dan Brien, chief spokesman
for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, who is coordinating
the federal effort.
If a community needs help it first turns to the provincial
government, he said. If that government cannot cope, it then
approaches Ottawa.
"Nobody works in isolation. There is engagement at all
levels during a crisis," Brien said by telephone.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley told the Canadian Broadcasting
Corp. on Friday that it was too early to say what kind of an
effort would be needed to deal with the crisis. "We haven't had
a chance to get in to do a thorough assessment ... Generally
speaking there's a long road ahead," she said
The federal government is offering other kinds of help, such
as satellite information, matching funds donated to the Red
Cross as well as promising emergency support for the victims and
long-term assistance to help Alberta recover.
But precious few of the 70,000-strong armed forces are
anywhere near the disaster region. A group of 350 soldiers are
on standby in the province to act as emergency firefighters.
Ottawa has in the past deployed significant numbers of
troops to help deal with natural disasters, most notably in
January 1998, when an ice storm crippled parts of Quebec,
Ontario and Quebec.
After the three provinces asked for help, Ottawa provided
more than 15,000 troops.
The provinces guard their powers carefully and Ned Franks, a
political professor at Queen's University in Kingston, said
Ottawa would wait for a request before acting.
"Without the support of the provincial government it would
certainly cause far more outrage than useful results," he said
in a phone interview.