Source Feed: Ottawa Citizen
Author: Ben Andrews
Publication Date: July 22, 2026 - 04:00
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Carney government cut nearly half the jobs at nerve centre for managing wildfires: union
July 22, 2026
Before discussing wildfire smoke with U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, Prime Minister Mark Carney posted photos on social media from a visit to the federal Government Operations Centre (GOC). Read More
Unpublished Newswire
The president says on social media that the duties were delayed "based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!"
August 18, 2026 - 22:46 | Alessia Simona Maratta | Global News - Canada
August 18, 2026 - 22:15 | Grant Robertson | The Globe and Mail
August 18, 2026 - 21:13 | Molly Hayes | The Globe and Mail
Comments
The Government Operations Centre is not the nerve centre for managing wildfires and this headline is supremely misleading. The GOC operates to enable federal coordination to emergencies. It's mandate is codified in the Emergency Management Framework for Canada, Federal Policy, and Federal emergency response plan. The GOC coordinates and does not manage wildfires at all.
They function to coordinate information across federal departments and agencies and when a request for assistance is recieved the GOC will coordinate across departments and the provinces.
Wildfires are managed predominantly by local jurisdictions such and provinces and territories and Parks Canada within parks.
Edit- People can read more about the GOC in the FERP and its role during emergencies here - https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/mrgnc-rspns-pln/index-e...
Cuts are real, but the cuts would not impact the local jurisdiction capacity to respond.