Canadian crews are being put to use in the battle against wildfires that are devastating parts of Los Angeles, in a deployment that demonstrates Canadian expertise and sovereignty, Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said Tuesday.

Sajjan said there was 鈥渘o hesitation鈥� to answer the call for help, with more than 60 Canadian front line firefighters heading to Los Angeles in recent days.

鈥淭his is just a reminder to everyone what good neighbours do,鈥� he said.

Canadian support for Los Angeles indicates the close ties between the two countries, Sajjan said, despite U.S. president-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 recent tariff threat and his assertion that Canada would be better off as the 51st state.

Asked if he saw Canada鈥檚 support for Los Angeles as a demonstration of Canadian sovereignty given Trump鈥檚 remarks, Sajjan agreed.

鈥淭here is absolutely no mistake when it comes to our sovereignty,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t is, I think, a reminder of our sovereignty, but it also is a reminder (of) how close our relationship is and how close we actually work together,鈥� Sajjan said.

Canadian personnel deployed to Los Angeles include firefighters from Alberta and British Columbia, technical staff specializing in logistics, aviation and fire weather, along with waterbombing crews from Quebec.

In addition to the Quebec government planes, helicopters belonging to B.C.-based Coulson Aviation have also been deployed in the fight.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a post on social media that he spoke Tuesday with Canada鈥檚 consul general in Los Angeles, and Canadian firefighters were 鈥渙n the ground, working shoulder to shoulder with American crews.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to help our American friends, and grateful for the first responders working in the toughest of conditions to save homes and keep people safe,鈥� he said.

B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said in a post on social media that a team of 12 specialists from the province鈥檚 wildfire service arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, while 22 firefighters were driving down, a trip that was expected to take two days.

He said he met BC Wildfire Service staff on Monday 鈥渢o discuss the impacts of the California fires and how they鈥檙e informing B.C.鈥檚 preparations鈥� for the 2025 fire season.

Sajjan said more crews from the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario were getting ready for potential deployment should more help be required.

鈥淭he Ontario government actually moved ahead very quickly and got urban firefighters ready to go, about 300 if needed,鈥� he said.

鈥淎lberta has offered additional aircraft with night-vision capability. So, these are the things that we鈥檙e putting on the table.鈥�

Sajjan said Canadian officials want American authorities to know that if the situation worsens, Canada has a 鈥渟uite of resources ready to go鈥� to respond.

The wildfires around Los Angeles have killed at least 24 people, destroyed more than 12,000 buildings and scorched more than 160-square kilometres of land in under a week.

Strong winds that are predicted to reach hurricane force in some areas were challenging firefighting efforts.

More than 75,000 households, mostly in Los Angeles County, were without electricity Tuesday morning amid the high winds, according to Southern California Edison, which shut off power in areas of high risk to prevent their lines from sparking new fires.