(Jasper) Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault was tasked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with leading the federal government’s part in the rebuilding of Jasper, Alberta.
In July, a wildfire destroyed a third of the Rocky Mountain resort town and displaced some 2,000 residents.
Mr. Boissonnault, an Edmonton MP, will be responsible for coordinating federal resources with the Alberta government, the municipality and Indigenous groups.
Prime Minister Trudeau also named a group of cabinet ministers, including Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Housing Minister Sean Fraser, to support Mr. Boissonnault.
“This role that the Prime Minister asked me to play in terms of ministerial direction is important, but it is a whole-of-government approach,” Mr. Boissonnault told reporters on Wednesday.
He is expected to meet with officials in Jasper this week to better understand the immediate needs, he said.
He said one of the first tasks will be to see if the federal government can help Jasper establish temporary housing, which the province and municipality have been working on since August.
“My job tomorrow is to go and do as much research as possible so that we can move forward on something very important, which is temporary housing,” he said.
Mr. Boissonnault, in his new role, is also invited to appear before the federal government’s standing committee on environment and sustainable development later this month, as it continues to examine “the factors that led to the Recent Fires in Jasper National Park.
Over the past two weeks, the committee of MPs has called various witnesses, including provincial politicians and forestry experts, to answer questions related to the fire.
Mr. Guilbeault appeared before the committee, as did Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis and Forests and Parks Minister Todd Loewen.
In an email, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said he was pleased with Boissonnault’s appointment and looked forward to working more closely with the minister.
“We enthusiastically welcome the federal support that commits to working collaboratively with provincial, municipal and Indigenous partners to accelerate the recovery process,” said Mr. Ireland.
“We must all work together to help Jasper thrive again socially and economically. »