Following the meeting, federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay told reporters that the goal for both governments right now is to help ranchers and farmers, including Indigenous ranchers and farmers, who have suffered significant losses because of the wildfires. "Together our governments are providing $20 million under the AgriRecovery program to assist producers with extraordinary costs they've incurred because of the wildfires," said MacAulay. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham acknowledged the difficult road ahead for farmers and ranchers hit hard by the realities of an unprecedented fire situation. Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale said a broader disaster financial assistance arrangement from the federal and provincial governments is currently being worked out. During the meeting with federal and provincial ministers, First Nations leaders sought help for their communities and requested $200 million in financial assistance.

Source: CBC News September 06, 2017 01:34 UTC