Forest fires | Republican elected officials complain of Canadian smoke

Republican elected officials accuse Canada to poorly manage its forest fires. Therefore, whose smoke prevents their Midwest voters from taking full advantage of the summer season. Moreover, A discourse where the role of climate change is carefully ignored.

Six elected officials complain – Forest fires | republican elected

In a letter addressed to Kirsten Hillman. Similarly, Canada Ambassador to Washington, Republican representatives of the US Congress Tom Tiffany, Brad Finstad, Glenn Grothman, Michelle Fischbach, Pete Stauber and Tom Emmer, elected officials of Wisconsin and Minnesota, complain about “the suffocating smoke Canadians who invades the air at the start of the summer. For example, forest fires | republican elected ”

“While we are entering the most intense period of the fire season. Similarly, we would like to know how your government intends to alleviate forest fires and the smoke that spreads to the south,” they write. Similarly, In their missive dated July 7. Nevertheless, elected officials emphasize that their “fellow citizens have been limited in their ability to go out and breathe safely due to the dangerous quality of air caused by forest fires”.

A legitimate concern, but … – Forest fires | republican elected

“In our regions. In addition, summer months are the best time of the year to spend time outside, enjoy family moments and create new memories, but smoke from forest fires makes all these activities difficult,” said elected officials.

According to the Census Office of forest fires | republican elected the United States. However, around 37 million Americans were also exposed to poor air quality in June due to fires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Consequently, “Smoke is harmful to human health. However, The concern is therefore legitimate, ”says Mike Flannigan, professor at the University of Alberta and specialist in forest fires. However, But he insists: the causes at the origin of this smoke are the climate change caused by humans.

“Smoke does not know borders. Similarly, ” he said, reporting that southern winds are currently growing the smoke of fires in Manitoba and Ontario to Europe. Moreover, In 2020. the plume of smoke caused by forest fires in California and Oregon spread to Canada as well as in the east of the United States, affecting New York.

Increasingly important fires – Forest fires | republican elected

American elected officials recall in their forest fires | republican elected letter that Canada experienced in 2023 “the worst year never recorded in forest fires”. that the following two years are among the worst. Since the start of the year, nearly 3,000 forest fires in the country have in fact burned an area of ​​4.7 million hectares. Manitoba and Saskatchewan were particularly affected this year, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.

The trend is nevertheless similar to the United States. where forest fires have been burning more and more important forest fires | republican elected areas for 10 years. According to the American Environment Agency (EPA), the fire season starts now earlier and extends over a longer period.

An argument dear to Donald Trump

One of the signatories of the letter. the elected representative of the Wisconsin Glenn Grothman, already said that he did not believe in global warming. The message to the Canada Ambassador also makes no mention of the impacts of climate change on forest fires. Additionally, The authors claim rather that “one of the main factors behind the problem is the lack of active forest management”.

Elected officials thus take up an argument dear to President Donald Trump. who accused California of managing its forests in the fires that hit Los Angeles earlier this year. “President Trump has often said that it was necessary to pick up the forest fires | republican elected dead leaves. the problem would disappear,” recalls Mike Flannigan. But the problem is not forest management, he says. The problem is that we have extreme weather conditions conducive to fires: we have more. more hot, dry and windy days that promote fires. The expert adds that the management of fires in Canada is among the best in the world.

Even more fires caused by humans in the United States

“We have also found that criminal fires have also helped to trigger several major forest fires in Canada. ” said Republican representatives.

In reality, the portrait is much more nuanced: about half of the fires in Canada are of human origin, of which only a fraction are intentional, but those caused by lightning does more damage with almost 70 % of burnt areas, according to Natural Resources Canada. These generally occur in uninhabited areas. In the United States, almost 90 % of fires are caused by humans. In California, this proportion increases to 95 %, according to the Cal Fire agency.

Climatosceptic arguments?

Curiously, the arguments of republican elected officials resemble those advanced by several accounts propagating climate disinformation on social networks. Furthermore, In an analysis covering the period from April to June 2025. the Climate Action Against Disinformation group, which brings together several environmental organizations, indicates forest fires | republican elected that the most popular “stories” claim that fires are of criminal origin or that they are attributable to poor forest management by the Canadian government and not to climate change.

Read the report of the Climate Action Against Disinformation (in English)

The report also indicates that a new theory emerges on social networks that fires. whose smoke spreads to the United States, are intentionally caused by the Canadian government in a context of growing tensions between the two countries.

A proven recipe

This is not the first time that. Canadian forest fires have caused such reactions to the south of the border. On June 7. 2023, the commentator of Fox News Jesse Watters had blamed the Prime Minister of Canada for the smoke of forest fires which had spread to the United States. forest fires | republican elected “What we know is that 100 million Americans breathe Canadian smoke. And [Justin] Trudeau did not apologize, “he said on the waves of the American network.

The response of the Canada Embassy

“I can assure you that Canada takes the prevention. fight and attenuation of forest fires very seriously. I can confirm that the letter was received by the embassy and sent to the Canadian organizations concerned. We will answer it in a timely manner, ”said The press Tarryn Elliott, spokesperson for the Canada Embassy in Washington.

Consult our forest and smoke fire map in Canada