Four Canadian Armed Forces members died and 39 others were injured when a fast-moving brush fire swept through an exercise area at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called the Saturday disaster one of the worst peacetime tragedies for our forces on home soil, while the House of Commons observed a moment of silence before adjourning for the day.
Three separate investigations are now underway into the Alberta training fire — two military processes, including a technical investigation and a board of inquiry, alongside a civilian coroner's investigation by the province. Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan told CBC's Power & Politics that she is currently drafting the terms of reference for the board of inquiry and committed to making its final findings public. "We want to make sure that the board of inquiry starts on firm ground," Carignan said, adding that she couldn't yet commit to a timeline for when the review panel will convene. Military law experts have already warned that these parallel reviews may not establish fault, leaving grieving families to wonder whether the process will deliver real accountability.
The military operates under no legal obligation to proactively release internal board findings, a hurdle that required intense public pressure to overcome after the 2004 fatal fire aboard HMCS Chicoutimi.
Gen. Carignan hasn't said when the review panel will begin its work.