Several Republican lawmakers are criticizing Canada over thick wildfire smoke drifting into the United States, with one senator pledging to introduce legislation to “sanction” the Canadian government over the fires.
Republican U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno wrote on X on July 16 that he will be “introducing a bill next week to sanction Canada and the responsible Canadian government officials for this atrocity."
The Ohio senator did not say what sort of sanctions would be included in the bill. In a July 16 news release he argued Ottawa had failed to invest in wildfire prevention methods like fuel reduction, prescribed burns, forest thinning, and “stronger enforcement against arson.”
There were a total of 858 active wildfires across Canada as of July 16, with 750 being classified as “out of control,” according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Smoke from the wildfires has drifted eastwards and southwards into the United States, prompting air quality warnings in cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis in recent days.
Canada saw its most destructive wildfire season ever recorded in 2023, when 17.6 million hectares of forest burned and wildfire smoke blanketed cities across the United States and Canada for weeks. The 2024 wildfire season saw 5.3 million hectares of forest burned, the 2025 season saw 8.4 million hectares burned, and this year’s wildfire season has so far led to about 4.6 million hectares burned.
There are currently 68 “large fires” burning across the United States, according to the National Interagency Fire Centre, and 1.5 million hectares have been burned in 2026. By comparison, 1 million hectares burned in 2025, 1.25 million hectares in 2024, and 314,000 hectares in 2023.
Following the latest bout of Canadian wildfire smoke, four Michigan members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, accusing the Ottawa of failing to conduct adequate forest maintenance to reduce the risk of wildfires.
“This is the third consecutive year we have had to write to Canadian officials about a crisis that Canada has the tools to prevent and has chosen not to,” wrote Michigan Republicans, John James, Jack Bergman, John Moolenaar, and Lisa McClain on July 15.
There are currently 68 “large fires” burning across the United States, according to the National Interagency Fire Centre, and 1.5 million hectares have been burned in 2026. By comparison, 1 million hectares burned in 2025, 1.25 million hectares in 2024, and 314,000 hectares in 2023.
Following the latest bout of Canadian wildfire smoke, four Michigan members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, accusing the Ottawa of failing to conduct adequate forest maintenance to reduce the risk of wildfires.
“This is the third consecutive year we have had to write to Canadian officials about a crisis that Canada has the tools to prevent and has chosen not to,” wrote Michigan Republicans, John James, Jack Bergman, John Moolenaar, and Lisa McClain on July 15.
The lawmakers said U.S. hospitals have once again been treating children, dialysis patients, and older people for the “effects of smoke that did not originate anywhere near them.” They said the United States could “look elsewhere, and act on our own” to prevent the wildfire smoke, or consider “exploring direct involvement in cross-border fuel reduction and firefighting capacity.”
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said in a July 15 statement that the challenge of wildfires “knows no borders” and requires a shared response between the two countries.
“I commend the outstanding co-operation between the United States and Canada as we confront these fires together. Our two governments are monitoring and sharing information in real time — coordination that reflects our partnership at its best,” he wrote.
The Canadian government said on July 9 that it was working with provinces, territories, and First Nations communities to support response and recovery efforts related to the wildfires. Ottawa noted that Natural Resources Canada recently announced $1.25 million for six projects to strengthen wildfire preparedness and response capacity across the country.
The government said its modelling shows that fire danger in July is “expected to remain the highest” across the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northern Manitoba and Northern Ontario. August is expected to have the same fire danger, while the southern interior of British Columbia is also expected to experience “higher-than-normal fire danger.”
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said in a July 15 statement that the challenge of wildfires “knows no borders” and requires a shared response between the two countries.
“I commend the outstanding co-operation between the United States and Canada as we confront these fires together. Our two governments are monitoring and sharing information in real time — coordination that reflects our partnership at its best,” he wrote.
The Canadian government said on July 9 that it was working with provinces, territories, and First Nations communities to support response and recovery efforts related to the wildfires. Ottawa noted that Natural Resources Canada recently announced $1.25 million for six projects to strengthen wildfire preparedness and response capacity across the country.
The government said its modelling shows that fire danger in July is “expected to remain the highest” across the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northern Manitoba and Northern Ontario. August is expected to have the same fire danger, while the southern interior of British Columbia is also expected to experience “higher-than-normal fire danger.”
