•As of January, 70 per cent of Canada—and about 81 per cent of its agricultural landscape—was classified as abnormally dry, or in moderate to exceptional drought. •Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s drought monitor for that month showed northern and southeastern Alberta, southwestern Saskatchewan, central British Columbia, and southern Northwest Territories as among the most severely affected areas. •As drought continues across much of Western Canada, governments at all levels are preparing for a potential repeat of last year’s record-breaking wildfire season. •Last month, Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan met with his provincial and territorial counterparts, and national Indigenous leaders to discuss the upcoming wildfire season. They received 'an alarming, but not surprising update on the forecast which suggest that this season, governments should prepare for the worst,' says Sajjan's press secretary Joanna Kanga.