Churchill MP Niki Ashton says the fire on a Saskatchewan reserve should not be happening in a country as wealthy as Canada.

She says the federal government is chronically underfunding First Nations in fire services, housing, and other areas of life. 

She says "in Manitoba there are partnerships between first nations and  non-first nations communities to address emergencies as they take place. The same doesn’t exist in Saskatchewan and part of it is that neighbours should find ways to work together, but the federal government should also be part of supporting these kinds of agreements the way they do in Manitoba".

Ashton says its time for the federal government to step up and take leadership.