Could Germany's volunteer-supported disaster relief model work in Canada?

Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan says he's looking abroad for ideas as he works to create a national disaster relief agency.

As he updated reporters on the wildfire and hurricane season Monday, Sajjan said he's speaking with his counterparts in France, the United States and Australia about their disaster response models. He said he's also hoping to travel to Germany in the fall to learn more about how it uses volunteers to assist in disaster relief.

"Down the road, yes, I do see a federal response capability. It's too early to tell what this will look like," Sajjan said Monday. "But we will take the best lessons from FEMA and some of our other international partners and incorporate it for what will work best for us."

FEMA, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, was established in 1979. It is in charge of preparing for and responding to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and other major threats.

Canada doesn't have a national disaster response agency. Provinces, territories and municipalities respond to floods, fires and other emergencies first. If they ask for federal assistance, it's the emergency preparedness minister's responsibility to coordinate resources.

Sajjan said FEMA works well for the U.S. but that model may not be the best fit for Canada; he did not say why. Any new Canadian emergency response agency would require buy-in from provinces and territories, he said, because they have primary responsibility for disaster relief.

Climate change continues to drive severe weather events across Canada. Federal officials say wildfires have burned a combined 3.4 million hectares so far this year and 474 fires are still active. Last year saw Canada's worst wildfire season ever.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) spent a record-setting 141 days last year supporting civilian emergency operations, such as wildfire response.

Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie told CBC News last year the CAF is being called upon too often to respond to emergencies.

The House of Commons defence committee issued a report in June stating Canada should look at establishing a permanent workforce to assist in responding to fires, floods and other disasters, instead of relying on the CAF for support. 

Since 2022, the federal government has been consulting with provinces and territories on what a volunteer disaster relief program might look like.

Although Sajjan said he hopes to visit Germany to learn more about their model in the fall, his office confirmed that a trip has not been scheduled yet.

Germany's Interministerial Panel on National Crisis Management co-ordinates disaster relief between states. Germany also has the volunteer-driven Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) — the Federal Agency for Technical Relief — which was set up following the Second World War to help with rebuilding efforts.

The THW has 668 units across Germany and more than 80,000 volunteers. First responders are able to call on these units for additional disaster relief support.