Recognize wildland firefighters
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to immediately correct the misclassification by recognizing wildland/forest firefighters in the National Occupational Classification as firefighters and remove federal barriers preventing their recognition.
Why we would sign this petition
- Recognition would give wildland firefighters access to the same occupational status, protections and benefits as other firefighters, enabling parity in workplace rights.
- Reclassification aligns official job categories with the hazardous, interjurisdictional and national nature of their work, supporting consistent standards and deployment.
- It acknowledges increased health and safety risks from longer, more severe fire seasons, helping to support essential response personnel.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Changing the NOC could require complex federal administrative changes and possible costs, diverting resources from operational firefighter support.
- Workforce classification and employment standards often involve provincial or territorial jurisdiction; reclassification may create coordination or legal complications.
- Targeted measures (specific benefits, training, or intergovernmental agreements) might address inequities more directly than broad occupational reclassification.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons of Canada Whereas: • Wildland/Forest firefighters across Canada perform life-threatening public safety duties, including wildfire suppression, evacuations, and the protection of communities, ecosystems, property and critical infrastructure during increasingly severe wildfire seasons; • Climate change has led to longer, hotter, and more destructive wildfire seasons, placing wildland/forest firefighters at growing risk to their physical and mental health; • Wildland/Forest firefighters routinely deploy across provinces, territories, and internationally to provide emergency response expertise during major wildfire events; • Despite performing the same dangerous work as other firefighters, wildland/forest firefighters are excluded from the firefighter category in the National Occupational Classification, a misclassification that limits their access to recognition, benefits, and protections available to other firefighters and public safety workers; • This recognition has been afforded to wildland/forest firefighters working directly for the federal government, as well as to other firefighters across the country, allowing them to fight for the appropriate workplace protections and benefits they need as firefighters, first responders, and public safety personnel; • In April 2024, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security unanimously supported action to address this inequity, yet no corrective action has been taken. Therefore, we, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Immediately correct the misclassification of wildland/forest firefighters in the National Occupational Classification by recognizing them as firefighters. 2. Remove any and all federal barriers that prevent wildland/forest firefighters from being recognized as the firefighters and public safety workers that they are.
Government response
No government response is available yet.