Ottawa, Ontario, August 29th, 2023 - unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory.

At  12:00pm this morning, a supporter of On2Ottawa tossed washable pink  paint onto a Tom Thomson painting, at the National Gallery, in Ottawa.  This was done to draw attention to On2Ottawa’s demand that Canada  implement a National Firefighting Agency that employs and trains 50,000  professional firefighters by 2024.

The  Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and other experts have recommended  that a firefighting agency on the federal level would help prepare  communities for and better prevent out-of-control fires. While some  politicians have called for similar measures, the government continues  to be reluctant to act on expert recommendations.

“Canada’s  fossil fuel industry is contributing to climate change, and we’re  seeing the effects as our nation’s forests burn. Our leaders have failed  to take action on this unprecedented crisis. Why do we protect  paintings of landscapes, and not the land itself? Canada must take  action, we must establish a national firefighting service as the first  step,” says Kaleb Suedfeld.

On2Ottawa  says the purpose of this action is to increase the popularity of  knowledge of the demand to create a national firefighting agency.  On2Ottawa supporters believe that transgressing upon social norms  becomes necessary when nothing else has worked.

On2Ottawa  states that if the Prime Minister claims to be a world leader in  tackling climate change, he needs to start by taking care of our  firefighters and communities.

Further disruption in the capital is expected to continue for another week-and-a-half.