Fraser Valley/Ottawa – In a letter to the Honourable Sean Fraser, P.C., M.P. Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Fraser Valley ( and Conservatives) MP’s expressed their disgust on the recent decision to exclude Abbotsford, Merritt and Princeton on federal monies for Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation:
Minister Fraser,
Since the devastating floods in 2021, British Columbians have been repeatedly let down by the
Liberal government. With minimal support from Ottawa, the municipalities of Abbotsford,
Merritt, and Princeton have struggled to recover and rebuild in advance of future floods. The
Prime Minister assured them that his government ‘would have their back.’ Sadly, after this
photo-op announcement, he left town the next day never to think about impacted residents again.
In the over two years since, the municipalities have gone through lengthy and expensive
applications for federal funding through the Disaster Mitigation & Adaptation Fund.
We were shocked to see that on June 3, their applications were denied.
By denying this application, the government is turning their backs on our region and putting
critical national infrastructure at risk.
Preventing future recurrences of the 2021 disaster is critical for the people of British Columbia
whose homes and livelihoods are under threat, but also to protect food security and supply chain
integrity for the entire country. It cannot be overstated how pivotal this region’s flood resilience
is to the economy of British Columbia and all of Canada.
The Liberal government has had over two years to help British Columbians prepare for floods.
But rather than work constructively with communities, this government has opted to gatekeep
and break promises.
This is yet another example of a government that is all talk and no action.
Together with my colleagues representing British Columbians, we are demanding that you as
Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities demonstrate real leadership by telling the
big government gatekeepers to get out of the way and reopen applications to ensure a fair deal
for British Columbia.
Dane Lloyd, Member of Parliament for Sturgeon River-Parkland and Shadow Minister of Emergency Preparedness
Dan Albas, Member of Parliament for Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola
Hon. Ed Fast, Member of Parliament for Abbotsford
Mark Strahl, Member of Parliament for Chilliwack-Hope
Tako Van Popta, Member of Parliament for Langley-Aldergrove
Brad Vis, Member of Parliament for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon
