FEDS MUST REASSURE CANADIANS IN FLOOD PATH: NDP

Dawn Black and Nathan Cullen call for swift aid and future flood planning.

OTTAWA - As artifacts were evacuated from the K'san Historical Village, and as hundreds of families waited on flood notice, from BC's northwest to the Fraser Valley, two NDP MPs called on Ottawa to reassure residents with swift federal aid and an overdue commitment to proper flood planning.

Nathan Cullen (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) says it takes too long for the federal government to announce assistance in crisis situations, and the Conservative government must reassure anxious residents and business owners that help is on the way.

"Why wait to reassure people?" asked Cullen. "In major floods of the past decade, the federal government took nearly a week to announce aid. Time is needed to make full assessments after waters recede, but as people are packing up their belongings and moving to higher ground, the government should be telling them that financial help is on the way."

Dawn Black echoed Cullen's call for immediate reassurances that aid will be issued quickly after the floods and noted that the Conservatives have a lot of work to do on future flood planning in the region.

"Clearly, an assessment after the flood is over will need to be completed, but nothing is stopping the Minister of Public Safety from issuing a clear and calm statement that the money will flow from Ottawa as fast as possible," said Black.

"We've known this was coming for some time, and so did the Conservative government. Now that the murky waters of the Fraser are on the rise, perhaps they will take this situation seriously and commit to something the Conservative budget failed to- prudent and proper flood planning,"

Black reiterated the long-standing NDP demand of the Harper government to take two clear actions to protect residents:

· Provide the immediate funding that should have been in the federal budget to address pressing infrastructure needs and
strengthen dikes.

· Provide stable funding to resume hydrological assessments on all watersheds where proposed pine-beetle logging could worsen future flooding.


Black says British Columbians have long known this flood was coming and took the opportunity to thank the countless first responders, emergency officials and volunteers.

"Communities in BC are already pulling together to weather this storm. The Kwikwetlem First Nation has put out a call for volunteer to fill sandbags. We need to make sure that funds are also available for pre-flood preparations and logistics."