Statement from Minister Goodale on Power and Communications Outages in Magdalen Islands

OTTAWA – November 29, 2018 – Today, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, issued the following statement about power and communications outages in Magdalen Islands, Quebec.

“I am watching the situation in the Magdalen Islands with great concern, and my thoughts go out to all of the residents affected by storm-related power and telecommunications outages.

The situation is fluid and evolving rapidly. On behalf of the Government of Canada, the Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, and I have accepted the Government of Quebec's request for federal assistance to help citizens in need.

The Government of Canada, through the Government Operations Centre, is in constant contact with Quebec emergency management officials and coordinating federal efforts. At present, the Canadian Armed Forces will be providing airlift support and up to 250 CAF personnel to assist in conducting health and welfare patrols and provide assistance to officials in the evacuation of residents if required.

I strongly encourage impacted residents of the Magdalen Islands to follow the directions of their local law enforcement and first responders.

On behalf of all Canadians, we are grateful to all of the first responders and emergency crews working together to keep the residents of the Magdalen Islands safe in this very difficult time.”