(Îles-De-La-Madeleine) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to the Magdalen Islands on Thursday to verbally guarantee federal government support for Madelinots recovering from the post-tropical storm. Fiona.
Posted at 6:31 a.m.
During his visit to the archipelago, Mr. Trudeau plans to meet with particularly shaken small business owners, fishermen and community elders.
The Prime Minister, who will be accompanied by the member of Parliament for the region and Minister of National Revenue, Diane Lebouthillier, spent the last few days in Atlantic Canada, a region hit hard by the storm.
Ottawa has dispatched approximately 600 troops to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, at the request of those provinces, to help clear debris, restore power and to repair damaged roads.
No request for assistance from the army has been made for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Defense Minister Anita Anand recently pointed out. She insisted that the military stood ready to intervene if necessary.
Over the past weekend, Fionawith its winds of over 120 km/h, caused damage to roads, roofs and banks, in addition to flooding buildings.
” I know that [les Madelinots] are used to storms, but this one hit hard, ”said Mr. Trudeau earlier this week, assuring that his government will be there to help the community in eastern Quebec to recover.
Earlier this week, the premier of Quebec and candidate for his re-election, François Legault, also went to the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. He promised that the provincial government would cover “the difference, for everything that is not insurable by regular insurance”.
Mr. Legault has also pledged to invest 100 million against the erosion of the banks throughout the province, but has not advanced on a specific sum for the archipelago.
On the question of compensation for losses that are not covered by insurance, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc, mentioned Wednesday that the federal government is used to contributing financially to this chapter under long-standing agreements. with provincial disaster authorities.
Assessing damage and financial need falls under provincial jurisdiction, but Mr. LeBlanc said Ottawa was prepared to pay amounts “in advance”.
“We know the cost will be high. We don’t have to wait for the final audit to be able to help people immediately,” he said.
The Minister also reiterated that ongoing discussions include insurance companies and aim to find the best way, in the future, to cover the damage caused by extreme weather events which are likely to become more and more frequent.
If the Îles-de-la-Madeleine suffered the horrors of Fionathe fact remains that the impacts caused by the storm were even more devastating in the Atlantic provinces.
Fiona notably caused two deaths, that of a 73-year-old woman from Port aux Basques, on the island of Newfoundland, as well as that of an 81-year-old man from Lower Prospect, Nova Scotia.