National wildfire early detection

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to establish and fund a national early-wildfire detection system using drones, satellites and AI cameras with local and Indigenous partners; to strengthen binding GHG targets and accelerate renewables deployment.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled Canadian wildfire seasons are growing longer and more destructive, with 2023 and 2025 being the worst and second-worst wildfire seasons in Canadian history; The 2026 season has already seen over 3,100 fires and 1.4 million hectares burned, with nearly 800 wildfires active nationally as of July, displacing families and blanketing communities across Canada and beyond in hazardous smoke; The cost of suppressing a wildfire rises exponentially with its size, meaning every hour gained in detection saves lives, homes, forests, and public funds; Drone technology, satellite imaging, and AI-enabled camera networks can detect ignitions within minutes — long before traditional lookout or public-report methods — and pilot projects such as AI wildfire-detection cameras in Kananaskis, Alberta have shown promise but remain small and fragmented; Canada has invested in aerial firefighting response capacity but lacks a coordinated national early-detection system; and Canada's emissions reduction and clean energy commitments must accelerate to limit the warming that fuels these disasters. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Establish and fund a national early wildfire detection program — deploying drones, satellite monitoring, and AI-assisted camera networks across high-risk regions — developed and operated in partnership with provinces, territories, and Indigenous communities, with the goal of detecting new ignitions within minutes rather than hours; 2. Strengthen and enforce national greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, with binding interim milestones on the path to net-zero; and 3. Accelerate the deployment of clean, renewable energy — including expedited permitting, grid modernization, and investment in wind, solar, hydro, and storage — to displace fossil fuel generation more quickly.

Government response

No government response is available yet.