Biden Offers Trudeau Support to Tame Canadian Wildfires as Air Quality Issues Persist

A woman walks her dog along the Ottawa River as smoke from wildfires obscures Gatineau, Que., in the distance on June 6, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

The United States has offered to provide additional support to Canada to help it respond to the devastating wildfires that continue to rage across the country and affect air quality in eastern parts of the United States.

President Joe Biden offered Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the extra support during a phone call between the two leaders on June 7, according to a statement from the White House.

The call, which was on National Clean Air Day in Canada, came as an estimated 414 fires continue to burn in Canada, of which 239 are considered “out of control,” according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

More than 3.8 million hectares (9.39 million acres) have burned across the country so far, including roughly 500,000 acres in Quebec alone, sending thick plumes of smoke into the United States and drastically affecting air quality.

According to Natural Resources Canada, most of the country will likely experience higher-than-normal fire activity through the end of June.

Following his call with Trudeau, Biden directed his administration to deploy “all available Federal firefighting assets” to help rapidly assist in suppressing the fires, according to the statement.

The United States has already deployed more than 600 firefighters and support personnel and various equipment to help tame the fires in Canada, the White House stated.

A pedestrian walks past the smoke- and haze-shrouded New York Stock Exchange building on June 7, 2023. (J. David Ake/AP Photo)

Air Quality Issues

Biden and Trudeau also discussed “continued cooperation” to prevent further wildfires and address the health effects that such fires have on communities, according to the readout.

“They agreed to stay in close touch on emerging needs,” officials said.

Trudeau’s office, meanwhile, said he had thanked the U.S. president for his support so far in helping battle the wildfires, which officials believe are likely to have been accidentally sparked by human activity and lightning.

“Prime Minister Trudeau noted that this contribution is yet another example of our two countries’ long-standing cooperation and friendship. The two leaders agreed to remain in close and regular contact,” the statement reads.

Taking to Twitter shortly after the call, Trudeau said that a growing number of wildfires were occurring as a result of “climate change.”

“These fires are affecting everyday routines, lives and livelihoods, and our air quality,” the Canadian leader wrote. “We’ll keep working—here at home and with partners around the world—to tackle climate change and address its impacts.”

A haze from wildfires in Canada settles over the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington on June 7, 2023. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

New York in ‘Crisis’

Wildfire season usually begins in Canada in May, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but this year, fires broke out in British Columbia and Alberta in late April following record-breaking hot and dry weather.

Other fires then began in Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, sending thick clouds of polluted air into several U.S. states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Minnesota, and New York, among others.

On June 7, New York City had more air pollution than almost every other city in the world as smoke from the fires turned the sky a hazy red, leading to decreased visibility and prompting some schools to cancel outdoor activities.

In a statement on June 7, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the substandard air quality across the city a “crisis” and a “dangerous situation.”

“We’ve been monitoring this for well over a week since the fires started in Eastern Canada. And I would say over the last 48 hours, it has gotten significantly worse,” Hochul said before urging New Yorkers to stay indoors if possible.

“This is detrimental to people’s health. In New York State, we have over 1.4 million people who already have asthma. And when the air quality is bad, it’s a significant risk for these individuals as well as seniors [and] children.”