Harjit Sajjan, Canadian Minister of Defence, attended a briefing with military commanders as well as MP Stephen Fuhr at the Kelowna armoury on Monday regarding the flood relief efforts currently taking place in the Okanagan and Fraser Valleys.
Additionally, Sajjan’s trip to the Okanagan will allow him to meet with troops on the ground and thank the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for their outstanding efforts in the valley.
"For me this is about saying thank you to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces for the tremendous work that they're doing,” insisted Sajjan.
“To let them know that their government is out there to thank them and also look after them," he added, noting that his experience in Kelowna and surrounding cities suffering from floods would give him a better idea of the current circumstances and allow for further educated decisions on these incidences in the future.
Approximately 300 CAF personnel are currently deployed for relief efforts throughout the Fraser and Okanagan Valleys, says Admiral Art McDonald, Commander of Joint Task Force Pacific.
"In the current case, from the time of the provincial ask until our response, it was a little more than 300 folks on the ground out of an approximately 600-person force in less than 24-hours," commented Admiral McDonald.
"Our response is essentially two-fold here, one in and around the Okanagan Lake [and] Grand Forks area and also through the lower Fraser Valley."
The Defence Minister departed from the Kelowna Armoury towards Green Bay to observe the flood relief efforts in West Kelowna before continuing onto Penticton’s Twin Lakes for a similar purpose.
Sajjan did not state how long his stay in the Okanagan would be but ensured his stay is focused on providing sufficient resources in the struggle against the floods and imminent fires.
