Canada wildfires in Manitoba spark outrage from US Republican lawmakers

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) - Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew accused US Republican lawmakers of having a “timber tantrum” as they demanded an investigation of Canada’s wildfires by the US Environmental Protection Agency, Canadian media reported Thursday.

The accusation comes as 401 wildfires burning in the province have created a health hazard, with smoke blowing across the border into American states. The largest blaze has consumed 3.8 million acres.

Meanwhile, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the military has been called in to fight blazes.

Wisconsin state Republican Rep. Calvin Callaghan demanded an investigation into how Manitoba is handling the wildfires. Republican lawmakers from Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota, joined Callaghan’s criticism. They filed a complaint against Canada with the US protection agency and the International Joint Commission, which rules on water and air issues.

"If Canada can't get these wildfires under control, they need to face real consequences," Callahan said in a statement. "We won't sit back while our air becomes a health hazard."

The irony is that US firefighters have joined those from Canada in battling the Manitoba wildfires.

"I've thanked them and I thanked folks in the Trump administration who sent some of the federal firefighting resources up to Canada and to Manitoba," Kinew told the Canadian Press.

Manitoba is under a province-wide state of emergency, the second in 2025, as it battles the worst blazes in 30 years, said officials.

In Newfound and Labrador, the military and coast guard have been sent to fight the wildfires.

Eleanor Olszewski, federal emergency minister, posted on X on Thursday that she had “approved an urgent request for federal assistance from Newfoundland and Labrador due to wildfires.”