Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault appointed to lead federal governments effort to rebuild Jasper [Video]

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault has been tasked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to lead the federal government’s share of the work to rebuild Jasper, Alta.

In July, a wildfire destroyed one-third of the Rocky Mountain tourist town and displaced some 2,000 residents.

Boissonnault, an Edmonton member of Parliament, will be responsible for co-ordinating federal resources with the Alberta government, the municipality and Indigenous groups.

“This role that the prime minister has asked me to play in terms of ministerial lead is important, but it’s a whole-of-government approach,” Boissonnault told reporters Wednesday.

He will be in Jasper this week meeting with local officials to get a better grasp of immediate needs, he said.

He added that one of the first tasks will be to see if the federal government can support Jasper in establishing temporary housing, which the province and municipality have been working on since August.