:
Good afternoon, colleagues and guests. We'll call the 22nd meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to order today. Our order of business today will be to discuss the main estimates for the public safety portfolio.
We have a number of witnesses with us today. Of course, we certainly welcome and of course we're so very pleased as well to have a number of department heads and senior people with various departments today. I'll just introduce them in no particular order here.
We have, from the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, François Guimont, deputy minister; from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Commissioner Bob Paulson; from Canada Border Services Agency, the president, Luc Portelance; from the Correctional Service of Canada, Commissioner Don Head; from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the director, Michel Coulombe; from the Parole Board of Canada, Harvey Cenaiko, chairperson; and from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Public Complaints Commission, Mr. Ian McPhail, the interim chair.
So thank you, one and all, for coming here today. Obviously, we will have a vote on the estimates at the conclusion of our dialogue with our witnesses today, but right off the bat we will go to the minister.
Mr. Blaney, you have the floor for a few minutes for a presentation. After that, we will open up to questions from the committee members.
:
Mr. Chair, my speech will be in both official languages, but I only have one copy. What I have said so far was not in my written text. However, I will be happy to answer questions in both official languages.
Basically, dear colleagues, my goal today is to provide you with as much information as possible to obtain your approval for the Main Estimates 2014-15 for the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
If I may, I will get started right away so I can respect the amount of time I have.
I would like to talk to you about two very important aspects that have come up since the last time we met. As you know, we have strengthened our commitment in relation to the Lac-Mégantic tragedy. I think it is important to mention it. With respect to the initial commitment of $60 million, $25 million was earmarked for public safety. Since then, we have concluded an additional agreement that would grant funds based on a 50-50 cost sharing formula for the full amount of the decontamination work. I am particularly proud of the fact that we are committed to supporting the Quebec government financially with respect to the amounts required for all the decontamination and restoration work of the site.
Obviously, we have also given our support to the Alberta communities that were devastated.
[English]
In March, our government announced an advance payment of $500 million in funding under the disaster financial assistance arrangements for costs incurred by the Province of Alberta for the severe and tragic flooding.
[Translation]
One of the extremely important public safety issues that I mentioned in my opening remarks is our relationship with the Americans, a relationship that is based on the market and trade, and on safety. That is why Public Safety Canada is responsible for implementing the agreement signed by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper, the beyond the border initiative.
More recently, Canada and the United States launched phase two of the pilot project, which involves pre-shipment inspection of cargo trucks at the Peace Bridge border crossing, between Fort Erie, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York. I was accompanied by Minister Nicholson and some American representatives. This is one of the deliverables of the beyond the border initiative, but not the only one. There are still other results to achieve and we are currently working on them.
[English]
This past January our government launched the anti-cyberbullying campaign, Stop Hating Online, to protect youth from cyberbullying, an issue that we all know can have devastating consequences. This builds on the protecting Canadians from online crime act, the legislation introduced by my colleague, , and we seek support of all members for that important bill.
The campaign includes TV, online, and cinema ads aimed at parents and youth with a focus on the potential legal consequences of sharing intimate images online as proposed under the .
The Stop Hating Online website, which provides concrete tools and tips for youth, parents, and educators is a great success. Our data is showing that this is one of the most effective campaigns the government has undertaken. We have had hundreds of thousands of visitors to the website since the campaign's launch, and Public Safety has been recognized for the high level of engagement it has seen on the Stop Hating Online initiative.
[Translation]
Let's talk now about the Main Estimates 2014-15 or, you might say, investments in safety.
The total funding for which I am seeking your approval is $8.399 billion. That is for the entire public safety portfolio and includes all the agencies represented here today. This is a net increase of $349.3 million, or 4%, over the Main Estimates 2013-14, which was approved and presented by my predecessor.
[English]
These investments will allow our government to continue to carry out vital programs needed to ensure safe and effective borders, a correctional system that actually corrects criminal behaviour and takes care of inmates with severe mental health issues, and a safe and secure country for all law-abiding Canadians.
Let me discuss some items found in the main estimates that are of interest to the members and certainly to Canadians.
[Translation]
Essentially, the increase can be attributed to the increase in financial transfers that we are going to make as part of the disaster financial assistance arrangements contribution program.
[English]
But there's some good news in the main estimates, such as Corrections Canada is returning to the fiscal framework nearly $119.5 million because the projected growth in the prisoner population as a result of our agenda on crime measures delivered....
As we have always said, locking up dangerous and violent criminals is the best way to reduce crime, and this is what is happening. The good news is that this is happening and the high projection of inmates is not materializing. On April 12 there were some suggestions that a lot of costs will be incurred for housing inmates. Well, we can see today that has not materialized. Correctional Service Canada is returning $119.5 million to the fiscal framework.
Regarding the Canada Border Services Agency to fulfill the Beyond the Border commitments, this request for $91 million is to modernize our border's infrastructure. I can give the example of Aldergrove where I was during this spring break...for modernizing our facility. These investments are important to ensure our border is safe and effective, and to allow the free flow of legitimate trade and travel, which is one of the key aspects of Beyond the Border, as well as slamming the door on criminals and terrorists who seek to harm law-abiding Canadians.
Lastly, as I indicated earlier, I would like to draw attention to funding requested directly by Public Safety Canada, notably a $662 million increase for funding under the disaster financial assistance arrangements. As you know this program is meant to help Canadians when they need our help, and that's what is happening here.
[Translation]
Clearly, a number of natural disasters have occurred. It is important to know that the process to reimburse expenses under the disaster financial assistance arrangements contribution program can sometimes take several months, if not years, after a disaster occurs. Initially, it is the provinces that reimburse the disaster victims and then there is an approval process for the expenses. That is why the expenses that have been approved under the arrangement include expenses related to the spring floods in Manitoba in 2009, the forest fire in British Columbia in 2010, the spring floods in Saskatchewan in 2011, and Hurricane Igor in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2010.
In 2012, there were also torrential rains in Nova Scotia.
The budget before you today also includes $500 million down payment, if I may call it that, for the unprecedented flooding that occurred in southern Alberta in 2013.
In summary, whether we are educating Canadians on the impact of cyberbullying, implementing the beyond the border action plan or helping communities recover after natural disasters, our government has the safety of Canadians at heart.
I would also like to mention that this budget provides for the modernization of the agency, which is under the direction of Ian McPhail, to put forward measures that we hope will strengthen the accountability process in terms of Royal Canadian Mounted Police monitoring.
I will be pleased to answer your questions. At the end of my first hour with you and when my colleagues answer your questions, I hope you will be able to support the Main Estimates 2014-15 relating to public safety.
:
Thank you, Madam Parliamentary Secretary.
Indeed this morning I was at the Royal Ottawa hospital for an announcement, along with our commissioner from Correctional Service Canada, as part of our strategy to deal with mental health in our facilities and also a response to the coroner's inquiry that was done by the Ontario government following the death of Ashley Smith. As you know, this was a tragedy that occurred in one of our facilities. This is why we took, and are taking, very seriously the recommendations of the coroner. Correctional Services had already taken initiatives under the mental health strategy, which addresses many of the recommendations presented by the coroner. Indeed, at this point in time, already a third of the recommendations of the coroner have been implemented. More than 50% of those recommendations are under evaluation and work at this current time.
What I announced this morning is that we are going further, as we had planned in December, to present the final report based on the recommendations. One interesting thing is that we are now expanding the range of services, the capabilities, offered by Correctional Service Canada, including a health facility with which we have partnered, namely the Brockville centre.
[Translation]
We also renewed the agreement with the Institut Philippe-Pinel in Montreal, which has 12 beds available to inmates with acute health problems.
[English]
We are also actively working with the east, with
[Translation]
...the Dartmouth mental health clinic in the Atlantic region.
[English]
We are currently undergoing many agreements. Those three are well advanced. We also have agreements in principle like the one in Brockville. We also have many beds within Correctional Service Canada that have been adapted to the very serious and acute needs of inmates.
This being said, the penitentiary, especially at the federal level, occurs at the end of the continuum. One of the most important things we need to do, not only at Public Safety but also working with other federal departments and provinces, is to see how we can, up front, prevent individuals with mental health issues from falling into the trap of the justice and correctional system. Obviously this is not necessarily the best place for them, but since we have some of these individuals in our facilities, we need to adjust to that. That's why we are moving forward with the strategy that was presented by Correctional Service Canada, the action plan.
If you wish, I could elaborate more on the pillars, but essentially they are aimed at making sure that once an inmate arrives at one of our facilities, we are able to assess if there are any mental health issues associated with that particular individual. We can then make the interventions that are appropriate. We can make sure that our officers are trained to deal with those particular cases, and then we can provide guidance, make sure there's good follow-up, and eventually provide them with a facility like Brockville.
In a nutshell, that's basically what the announcement this morning was all about: Correctional Services implementing the recommendations of the coroner's report, integrated in this action plan.
:
I thank you for your question.
[Translation]
The best way to pay tribute to Ashley Smith is to make sure that such an event never happens again in one of our facilities. That is why, as soon as this tragedy occurred, an inquiry was conducted by Correctional Service Canada and immediate steps were taken.
When we realized that there were systemic problems, a strategy was put in place and we announced an action plan.
I would like to share with you an interesting statistic from Correctional Services. Since that tragedy, there were approximately 1,379 interventions involving inmates with acute health problems, in particular persons who injured themselves. In all cases, the purpose of those interventions was to protect the inmates.
That is one direct consequence of the changes made to practices and procedures. That is why we are moving forward with the strategy aimed at assessing an inmate's status as soon as he or she arrives in one of our establishments. This allows us to act in a way that is adapted to the inmate's needs.
Moreover, we are training staff so that they adopt appropriate behaviours. You must understand that Correctional Service agents must sometimes deal with people who have mental health issues. Of course, we have to do preventive work so that these people do not wind up in our establishments. The Department of Public Safety must continue its efforts as must all other levels of government so that social services can take care of these persons.
We intend to take measures in that direction. As I indicated, even though we are working on following up on the recommendations, we have already put measures in place.
[English]
If I can reassure you, I will ask the correctional investigator to follow up on the action that has been taken and to follow up on the action plan that is presented and on the report that will be tabled by the end of this year.
[Translation]
The purpose of correctional services is of course to ensure that criminals are behind bars in order to protect society, and also to facilitate their return to civil life later so that they may once again contribute to society; that is clear.
As you know, Mr. Norlock, our government thinks it is important to put an end to practices that caused people to lose trust in our justice system. They were, in fact, under the impression that there was a lack of balance. More generally speaking, I was proud over the past few weeks to accompany the , Stephen Harper, and the to put victims back at the heart of our legal system.
We adopted over 30 bills or measures in that regard. For instance, we put an end to the famous two for one credit which meant that the offender had his prison sentence reduced. These measures have meant that there has been a certain increase in the number of persons in our establishments, but it is barely greater than the increase in the general population.
We see the results clearly. Statistics show that in most cases, the crime rate is going down. Of course, there are issues we must address. Unfortunately, crimes of a sexual nature are on the rise. We also see that some segments of the population are more affected by crime and we must continue to devote efforts to that. That is why we have put in place the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
Last week I was in Vancouver to announce that we are, for instance, going to assist young aboriginals who are more vulnerable. We think that this project is going to give results.
To get back to your question, essentially, the projected increase in the inmate population did not materialize. Because of that, today we are returning $119.5 million to the public purse. However, this will in no way affect the care and services provided to inmates.
:
Thank you, Mr. Norlock.
You're right to mention that sometimes Canadians don't really know that when it comes to natural disasters, the Government of Canada has entered into an agreement that goes back to 1970, where, after some thresholds are reached and some initial costs are assumed by the province where the disaster occurred, the support of the government can go up to 90%. This is what takes place in major disasters, such as the flood that has occurred in Alberta.
One thing we have to take into account—and I would say this is certainly a challenge not only for our government, but for our country—is that the number of events over the last decade has increased, and the magnitude of those events has also increased, and therefore the cost of those events has increased.
If I take, for example, the first 25 years of this program, we would have an average of $10 million per year in disasters. This year alone we are having more than $600 million. That's why in Budget 2014 we have initiated a mitigation plan. This has been the outcome of an effort, a concerted effort, with the provinces and the federal government to make sure that we would come up with a mitigation measure. Our government has announced $200 million. This fund will be matched by the provinces as well, so it's a fund of $400 million. I'm eager to meet with my counterparts this June to see how we can unfold these investments to reduce and help mitigate the cost of those natural disasters.
I'd like to respond to your second question and get back to your first question. Of course I have reviewed the report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator. There has been a long-term relationship with the Correctional Service, and they take their recommendations very seriously. This being said, I think, Mr. Easter, facts speak louder than rhetoric.
As I've just indicated, you've seen that we are ready to make sure that inmates are provided with the support and the services they need. This is good for all inmates, male and female, wherever. We have a special aboriginal program, but you are also aware that we are also taking care of those who have severe mental health issues. In that case, as you know, these require many resources: experts, specialists, and we are not afraid to deal with one of the best facilities in Canada, if not in the world, such as the Royal, to make sure we are putting the inmate in an environment where they can succeed.
I believe this is a good investment because if we are able to put those individuals in a safer environment and apply this vision of Correctional Service Canada, those individuals may be able to downgrade into a level of services, and eventually I still think every one of them can return to civilian life unless advised otherwise by a judge.
We are not fearful of investing, as you can see. If we are returning money to the fiscal framework, it is because we have closed two prisons: Kingston and Montreal.
I'd be pleased to answer your first question if you want me to, but I think—
:
No, because I think it is more effective to take concrete action rather than conducting other studies that will cause us to go around in circles.
However, I can tell you, regarding this topic which I agree must be taken seriously, that in the last budget an additional $25 million was set aside for the particular issues aboriginal people experience, in particular missing aboriginal women.
The Minister of Status of Women will be in charge of that exercise but I am working in close cooperation with her, since we are concerned in various ways, either as regards public safety via prevention programs we have already put in place, or RCMP programs. Perhaps the commissioner can enlighten you further on this during the second hour of your meeting.
I nevertheless want to inform you that the RCMP is currently working on determining the number of missing and murdered persons in Canada, and through its advanced research was able to divide up the information according to the nature of people who had been reported missing.
The commissioner informed me that next month he will be able to disclose this data. It will be a tool that will help in the extremely important decisions that will have to be taken concerning the implementation of the strategy.
Knowing these details is important since it will allow us to define the problems and determine the appropriate approaches. That is why this data will also be used to guide the actions of the RCMP, not only regarding aboriginal persons, but also all other missing or murdered persons.
[English]
Absolutely, Mr. Payne. We have a three-pillar approach. The first one is cleaning our own house, which is the government. It is to make sure the government is immune to a cyberattack. We have seen that this is a challenge that we have to take very seriously in an environment where there are many threats, whether from individual hackers or a more structured approach.
The second pillar is working with the private sector. That's why, along with my deputy minister and the former minister, John Manley, we are working with key stakeholders and leaders in the industry, so that we can develop an approach. We already have a cybersecurity critical infrastructure centre. We are seeking to ramp it up, so that our nation is better prepared as we face constant and increasing threats in terms of cyberattacks.
The first stream is the government working with the private sector, as well, I would say, empowering individuals. Although it may seem very basic, security is basic. Fastening a seat belt is basic, but it saves lives. This is the same thing, like having a password on your BlackBerry, or if you receive an email from your bank asking for your personal data, maybe people should think twice because they already have that data and this is phishing.
We have put in place some initiatives that are reaching out, not only to adults but also to youth. I would say that our cybersecurity strategy goes a little bit on the cyberbullying, because there is some link, and when you share information you can attend to your own safety.
We are experiencing relative success. That is why we are seeking to move forward. Since 2010, we have already invested $244 million in Canada's cybersecurity strategy to mitigate, detect, and respond to cyber-incidents. In the current main estimates, there is a total of $9.6 million for cybersecurity activities.
This is certainly a priority as we see threats in the cyber-environment.
:
Thank you for your question.
To answer it directly, there was an increase of 3% to a substantive budget of $1.736 billion. As you know, we increased by 26% the number of inspectors at the Border Services Agency.
I think your question touches on an important issue. Over the past decade, we saw the emergence of an agency that is occupying an increasingly large place in the life of Canadians, be it at borders or in controlling illegal immigrants. Canada Border Services Agency is called on to play an increasingly high profile role. Indeed, it celebrated the 10th anniversary of its creation. As you know, although we also have the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, the Agency is responsible for the enforcement of the Immigration Act.
To get back to border posts, no changes are necessarily planned regarding their hours of business. Of course, we continue to put resources in place. The Agency has many draws on it be it to ensure the free circulation of goods at border posts or to intercept dangerous and illegal goods or drugs.
To get back to yesterday's example the seizure that was made in cooperation with the Sûreté du Québec, one sometimes has the impression that the cat cannot jump on the mouse because the mouse is running, but when the cat uses its claws, it hurts. That is all of the more true when the Agency in cooperation with other agencies targets its activities to attack the heads of a network. We saw the results. So at the Border Services Agency there is an increase in the budget and a consolidation of its activities.
We know that border services officers are now armed. We also note an increase in traffic at borders. How can we manage an increase in air traffic while maintaining an interesting client experience in airports? In other words, we have to determine how to allow the honest citizen, those passengers, to circulate freely while being able through various mechanisms to intercept undesirable individuals.
:
Thanks again for the question.
We've been monitoring the whole issue of double-bunking very closely, particularly as it relates to both the modest increase in the population and the impact as a result of us closing three facilities: Kingston Penitentiary, the Regional Treatment Centre, and the Leclerc Institution in the Laval area. As a result of those increases, we've put in an additional double-bunking measure, which saw us on average going up to having about 20% of the population being double-bunked.
Concurrently, we were in the process of building new units. Most of those units will be coming online in the next several months, which will be creating 2,752 new cells, which will allow us to help to move down very quickly from that 20%. Even as of today, we're already just slightly under the 20% figure. We have 2,700 offenders double-bunked and we're at just 19.6%, grosso modo, double-bunked.
In terms of issues around violence, there's been a lot of discussion about whether security incidents in our institutions have been directly linked to double-bunking. We've monitored this very closely. None of the incidents that we've seen, particularly some of the more serious ones, are directly linked to double-bunking at all. They're linked to the behaviours of individuals who are problematic and individuals who should be in federal penitentiaries.
We've done a lot of studies on this. I think we actually shared a copy of a report earlier with this committee. They've demonstrated that there is no direct correlation between the increase in the double-bunking for the last couple of years and the increase in security incidents.
:
Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair.
Just going back to the first part of the question, it's correct to say that at the upper end of the individuals we worry about most are the ones who have serious criminal antecedents who should be removed from Canada.
The CBSA last year set a target of removing 100% of individuals with criminal records who were ready for removal. That means people who have gone through the process, who are ready to be removed. We challenged ourselves to ensure that 100% of those individuals would be removed from the country, and we were successful, so that is a fairly high watermark for the CBSA.
On Canada's most wanted list or CBSA's most wanted list, in fact, that has been very successful. In terms of individuals that we've either located, removed, or demonstrated they'd already left Canada, it's well over 50. I think the actual removal number is just high of 40.
But these are individuals who are, again, either criminals or people who are war criminals, for instance, who have been removed as a result of the collaboration of the public, frankly, who have contributed to our efforts.
The program started almost three years ago. We will continue. We are continuing to add names, as you know. It's a very important component of our enforcement effort.
:
I will start, Mr. Chair.
It's nice to see you, Mr. Easter.
I will simply make two points that are worthwhile for the committee to look at, because they go in the direction of the question you are asking.
A question was posed to our minister, a formal question.
[Translation]
This is an information request addressed to the government. It is question No 233 on the Order paper.
[English]
I have it here, Mr. Chair, and obviously, it is available to you. This was not a brief answer. It was a comprehensive look at the type of information that we seek, why we seek it, and it provided numbers, which generated the questions on the CBSA side. I can file this with you. It's available, and I would encourage the committee to at least look at it. It's a start.
The second point I would make briefly, and this goes, Mr. Chair, to the specific questions about what is warranted and how many, is that Public Safety on a yearly basis makes public a document entitled “Annual Report on the Use of Electronic Surveillance”. This report, which was made public in 2012—if I remember, last August—will be updated and will be provided over the summer as well, the same way we've done it.
Those are two reference documents that will provide answers to quite a number of your questions, which are understandable questions, and I would really encourage the committee to have a look at this as a good starting point to understand the mechanics, because we cover why and how it's tied to the Criminal Code, our mandate, etc., the sections, and it also gives numerical information along the lines of what you're looking for.
:
That is excellent. I want to wish you good luck in those undertakings and we are going to continue to follow that file very closely. It will be interesting to see what happens; I hope we can talk about it again in the coming months.
I would also like to do a brief follow-up concerning what was said about double-bunking in our correctional institutions. I will speak directly to you, Mr. Head.
There were three penitentiaries in my riding, the Leclerc Institution being one; unfortunately it closed its doors last year. In fact, I am quite close to representatives of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers. I often go to visit facilities to see how things are done there, and in particular, I ask a lot of questions of the officers about their work. I ask them about operations but especially about health and safety, theirs as well as the inmates.
Concerning double-bunking, what we hear within our penitentiaries is not exactly what we hear outside of them. Correctional service officers do not feel safe when there are two or more inmates in one cell. Sometimes there are three inmates in the same cell. However, these cells were built to contain only one person. Moreover, often it is not just the fact that they don't feel safe, but also that they cannot adequately ensure the safety of the inmates there.
For instance, I was speaking to a female correctional service office who told me that often, in cells built for one person only, they could not see the second person on the cot up above. They cannot ensure that that person is alive. I think that there is a check done every hour on the hour during the night to make sure inmates are alive.
So this makes it extremely difficult for the officers to do their work. They don't have the necessary equipment to do it. In fact, they don't feel well supported with regard to this double-bunking. They fear for their own safety and feel that they cannot do their work properly.
So, is this simply a temporary measure?