Feds deploy more troops to Fiona-hit areas, promise compensation

The federal government announced Wednesday it has deployed more Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel to Atlantic Canada to help with recovery efforts as tens of thousands of customers endure their fifth day without power.

Defence Minister Anita Anand said about 600 troops are now working in the three provinces that sustained the most damage from post-tropical storm Fiona — Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. That's double the number of troops that were on the ground on Monday.

The surge in military support is meant to help the provinces restore some semblance of normal life in a region that is still covered in storm wreckage. That debris has made restoring power difficult for utilities like Nova Scotia Power and Maritime Electric in P.E.I.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, CAF personnel are performing "wellness checks" and helping people relocate from affected areas. In Nova Scotia, soldiers are focusing on clearing fallen trees and debris to reopen roads and bridges.

In P.E.I., the CAF is helping power workers. Roughly 57,000 Maritime Electric customers in the province are still in the dark.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Ottawa will send more troops, if necessary.

"We have started with a large number of forces on the ground but of course, we can do more," he said.

Anand said that, in this period of serial natural disasters, the CAF has been at the centre of domestic emergency operation and recovery efforts — and there are limits to what it can do with its reduced troop strength.

According to military figures, the CAF is short about 10,000 people in regular force and reservist positions as it grapples with recruitment challenges.

While there's money on the books to employ 100,000 CAF members, the military is well short of that mark.

"CAF will never hesitate when called upon to do this extremely important work. It is true, as a result of a number of factors, including COVID-19, that recruitment is a very difficult issue for us at this time. We need to grow as an institution," Anand said, adding that her department has developed "additional recruitment strategies" to boost its numbers.

When asked if Canada should consider creating some sort of civilian agency to help with emergency planning and relief efforts — a Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — Anand said that's not under active discussion.

Two cabinet ministers from the region relayed details about the destruction they've seen on the ground in the wake of Fiona.

Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay, who represents a riding in P.E.I., said his own property has sustained damage. He joined Wednesday's press conference by phone because he's still without power and access to the internet at this rural home.