MP ASHTON CALLS FOR MILITARY SUPPORT FOR PEGUIS FIRST NATION FOLLOWING FLOODING

THOMPSON – Severe flooding led to the evacuation of a quarter of Peguis First Nations’ residences, leading NDP MP Niki Ashton to ask for immediate government intervention, by sending the military to assist the community in crisis.

“Peguis First Nation is once again facing devastating flooding, unprecedented water levels. Nine hundred people evacuated. Over six hundred homes impacted”, said Ashton. “Peguis is seeking support now, including from the military that have stepped up for First Nations during the pandemic and to deal with forest fires.”

MP Ashton, in support of Chief Glenn Hudson, is calling on the federal government to intervene swiftly, as the community has been so far left on its own to deal with the damage and the incoming waters. The unforeseen nature of the floods, due to the lack of forewarning by the Province, fuels the conversation on the impacts of climate change as extreme weather events repeatedly are observed in Manitoba, for which the consequences have disproportionately impacted Indigenous communities. Interlake communities have had to deal with extreme weather events in the past, and the federal government must step up and show leadership, MP Ashton said during Question Period. Communities like Peguis need long-term investments in flood protection infrastructure, something that would be facilitated through MP Ashton's bill C-245, a bill focused on infrastructure investments for Indigenous and Northern communities in the fight against climate change.

“In 2009 and 2011, the Manitoba NDP government and the federal government worked to support Peguis”, said Ashton. “Today the situation is worse. This is a climate emergency.”