On September 12, Scowcroft Strategy Initiative Assistant Director Imran Bayoumi authored a Globe and Mail piece arguing that using the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to manage and mitigate climate-related disasters places an undue burden on the military’s resources and capabilities. Instead, Bayoumi makes the case for the creation of an entirely separate agency, inspired by successful models employed in the United States and various parts of Europe, to exclusively focus on addressing the domestic impacts of the climate crisis in a way that does not detract from the CAF.
The consequences of climate change will continue to affect Canada. The federal government needs to shift the burden from the CAF by creating a new agency like the US’ Federal Emergency Response Agency (FEMA) to coordinate and respond to future disasters across the country.
