:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'm sure we would all want to reflect, on this particular day, upon the loss of Mr. Brown and the impact it has had on all members of the House of Commons, on all sides. I send my particular condolences to members of the Conservative Party, of which Mr. Brown was a very distinguished member.
As a side comment, I note that in recent days I've had the opportunity to talk on trade-related matters to a prominent American in the field of international trade, Mr. Robert Zoellick, who is a former U.S. trade representative and a distinguished American official in previous administrations. He observed that he had come to know Mr. Brown in Canada-U.S. relations and in fact had had the opportunity to visit with him in Gananoque, where Mr. Zoellick has some other connections. Mr. Brown left a very large footprint, and one that is much respected.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for inviting me back today.
Before I begin, I also want to take a moment to recognize all the people across this country who are affected by spring flooding in Canada, particularly in New Brunswick, but also in Kashechewan in northern Ontario and in various parts of British Columbia.
Members of the Canadian Coast Guard, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Rangers, Transport Canada, the RCMP, and others have been engaged in providing assistance. I'm sure that all members of this committee in particular would want to join me in expressing our gratitude for the hard work of all these intervenors from the federal departments and agencies, working in close collaboration with provincial and local authorities and agencies. We wish them well in the important work they're involved in. We're certainly hoping that everyone stays safe.
I'm joined today by some key people from within the public safety portfolio. You are very familiar with Malcolm Brown, the Deputy Minister of Public Safety. Brenda Lucki, the new Commissioner of the RCMP, is back with us for the second time in one week. John Ossowski is the President of the Canada Border Services Agency.
Jennifer Oades is the new Chair of the Parole Board of Canada. The board is busy this week in Ottawa, involved in training sessions for members of the board as they go about their important work across the country. We also have Anne Kelly, Interim Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada, and Charles Lowson, Acting Deputy Director of Operations at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
[Translation]
I am very proud of the essential role all of these leaders and their organizations play in protecting Canadians and our rights and freedoms.
[English]
Some of these people were with me recently at the G7 meetings of foreign and security ministers in Toronto. Canada was proud to host that particular gathering, and we look forward to hosting the upcoming leaders' summit next month in Charlevoix. I am pleased to say that G7 countries stand absolutely united in dealing with the various security threats we all face, from terrorism and human trafficking to cybercrime and beyond. Canada also took the opportunity to promote gender equality and women's rights at those meetings in Toronto. Gender equality and security absolutely go hand in hand. That's a top priority for our G7 presidency, and an overarching theme for all G7 discussions in the meetings we are hosting this year.
Mr. Chair, the skilled women and men of the public safety portfolio ensure that we are all well placed to respond to evolving threats. Our parliamentary responsibility is making sure they have the resources to do so. That, of course, brings me to the topic of this meeting, which is the main estimates for 2018-19.
Portfolio-wide, the total authority sought here will result in a net increase of $857.2 million. That is 9.8% more than in the main estimates last year. I'll touch briefly on just a few of the highlights.
First, speaking about the G7, these estimates include $233.5 million for G7 security across the public safety portfolio. Last time I was here to discuss the estimates, I mentioned that we would be glad to provide security briefings about the G7 to Mr. Paul-Hus and Mr. Dubé. I understand those briefings have happened.
Work is well under way in coordination with provincial and municipal authorities to ensure that everyone in Charlevoix and the surrounding areas is safe and secure. I am also aware that there will likely be people engaging in demonstrations during the G7. Our government will always defend the democratic rights of Canadians to demonstrate and protest, provided that it happens peacefully and within the bounds of the law.
Canadians also expect police officers to maintain public safety while respecting the law and professional codes of conduct. To that end, I would welcome the expected observers from Amnesty International and the Ligue des droits et libertés.
The main estimates also include an increase of $48.6 million for CBSA. That funding will go to immigration and security screening, border processing, and inland enforcement. This is part of our commitment to ensure that the border remains secure while open to the expeditious flow of legitimate trade and travel.
Border Services officers are professionals who do a difficult job, prioritizing security while treating people with humanity and compassion. I thank them and members of the RCMP for being so adept at handling what has recently been a very challenging border situation. It is, in large part, thanks to the RCMP and CBSA, as well as their colleagues in IRCC, that public safety is being maintained, that Canadian law is being applied, and that our international obligations are being upheld.
The estimates also include $41.1 million in increased funding for the first nations policing program. This is part of the investment we announced in January of almost $300 million over five years, which is the largest increase in funding for the first nations policing program since its inception almost 30 years ago.
I am pleased to report that of the 42 agreements with first nations that have been due for renewal, 29 are either signed or in the very final stages of completion, and officials are working very hard at the remainder.
There's also an increase of $18.9 million in funding for the correctional service, and another $1.3 million for Public Safety Canada, to manage vulnerable offenders appropriately and effectively within our corrections system. That refers particularly to people with mental illness, as well as indigenous offenders and women. We know that our correctional system needs to be world-class, at both security and rehabilitation, because that is the best way of reducing recidivism and keeping communities safe.
There is an increase of $20 million for the national disaster mitigation program, to increase resilience so natural disasters don't cause as much damage as they might otherwise.
There is $19.1 million to build capacity to address drug-impaired driving, which includes officer training. There is $23.4 million for the memorial grant program. This is a new program that will provide $300,000 to the families of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who have died as a direct result of their duties. This program is effective as of this past April 1.
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is, as you know, a very large portfolio. I am aware that your committee has had a full plate recently, too, studying the correction system as well as national security legislation, and you've now begun studying Bill , related to firearms.
I cannot promise that the pace is going to slow down. In all likelihood, it will go in the opposite direction and get faster. I can promise, however, that our government will continue to prioritize public safety while at the same ensuring that Canadian rights and freedoms are well protected. It is the men and women at this table who represent the leadership of the public safety portfolio, and everyone they represent, who make such a huge contribution every day and work so hard to make sure that Canadians are safe and that their rights and freedoms are protected.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
:
On the latter point, about the division of resources between administration and actual grant funding, I'd ask Mr. Brown to comment.
The point is simply this, Mr. Spengemann. We call upon the tri-services, as they're referred to—fire, police, and paramedics—to do extraordinary things. This memorial grant is something that the three services have been arguing for, probably for 20 to 25 years, as they come to the Hill every year to make their representations to government and to members of Parliament.
The House of Commons passed a motion on this topic about five years ago, one that crossed all party lines, expressing support for the principle. When I became the minister two and a half years ago, I was determined to get this into law so that, at whatever level a firefighter or a police officer or a paramedic is functioning, whether municipal, provincial, or federal, if the worst should happen and they should lose their lives in the course of performing their duties, the Government of Canada would, through this program, provide a tax-free payment of $300,000 to their families to acknowledge their service and to help, to the extent that money can help, in the difficult transition to the loss of a loved one.
We are in the process of public competition for an administrator of the program, an outside firm that has expertise in dealing with programs of this kind. This administrator would provide the liaison with the first responder community, providing information, setting up a website to assist them with information to handle the initial influx of applications, and so forth.
Hopefully we will not have many applications, but sadly we will have a flow. We've budgeted the funding on the basis of an actuarial analysis of what we might likely expect and on past experience. The effective date is April 1, so any deaths that occur after that date will be covered by the program. The administrator will handle the initial contact with the families, but it will be the Department of Public Safety that makes the final call with respect to eligibility for the program.
We want this to be smooth, generous, and compassionate, because that's what it's intended for: to assist those who have suffered the terrible loss of a loved one who has lost his or her life in the line of duty.
I want to turn to the impending cannabis legalization. If you believe the government's statements about July 1, then we're a matter of seven weeks away from cannabis being legalized in this country.
We New Democrats have been raising the issue of having an agreement with the U.S. to protect Canadian citizens from peril as they approach the border. This week, former U.S. ambassador to Canada, Bruce Heyman, said:
I actually think Canada has to negotiate this out. This is not something [where] one person should be making...individual decisions. I think CBSA and...U.S. Customs and Border Protection...need to have an understanding as to how best [to] approach it.... We really need to figure this out more government to government...so that you don’t have one-off operations...[at] 117 border crossings.
This was followed up on yesterday by U.S. immigration lawyer Len Saunders from Blaine, Washington, who warned that without an agreement, this approach is dangerous and “is going to create many, many, many border crossing issues for many, many, many people”. Canadians could be barred for life from entering the United States for simply admitting that they've consumed cannabis, legally or otherwise.
Minister, do you have an agreement between Canada and the United States that will protect Canadians and their travel and business interests once cannabis is legalized in Canada?
:
The benefits are very clearly proper public safety and proper policing in all parts of Canada. Regardless of where Canadians live, they should be entitled to expect equality of service from the police agencies that have jurisdiction.
The existing first nations policing program, if memory serves me correctly, covers about 430 communities, and that represents some 400,000 people. The increase we have made in funding is the largest contribution to that program since it was first invented in about 1991. The funding would allow for improvement in the officer ratio, and so for an increased number of police officers; better pay for those police officers; better working conditions for the police officers; and safer conditions, so they can deliver their services to the communities in which they operate in a safe and secure manner.
The program has done good work in the past. The statistics show that public safety is higher and crime rates are lower in those communities that are served by the first nations policing program. We can, however, always do better. The local chiefs of police and the first nations chiefs have indicated to us repeatedly that the program needs to be upgraded. They need more officers, and their officers need to be paid on par with other police forces in the country. They need to have better equipment, operating procedures, and so forth. They also need to have their infrastructure upgraded.
We've been working on all these fronts with the first nations leadership nationally and with individual communities. We are now nearing the end of the negotiations, community by community, to implement the new funding. It will flow over the course of the next five years.
There are two very good things about this funding that are new and different, apart from its being more. First of all, going forward the funding will be indexed; there is an inflation factor built in to protect against rising costs. Second, the commitment is not just for the first five years but is ongoing at this level.
We may well need to negotiate improvements and increases to the program on top of this base funding. This is now all in the base, and it is on a go-forward basis so that it doesn't expire when the next five years come to an end. It has longevity attached to it.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the officials for being here.
I want to ask Mr. Brown about the national disaster mitigation program. There has been a sizeable increase for 2018-19 under the main estimates: $57.1 million has been allocated for national disaster mitigation. I think that is very important, very timely, and very welcome. Canadians see what's taking place in New Brunswick, for example.
I come from southwestern Ontario, specifically London. Our region was affected by serious flooding in the areas of Chatham and Brantford, so this is all welcome.
I want to ask about the extent to which climate change factors into the decision-making when it comes to policies or objectives such as this, because complex problems have complex causes. Twitter does not cause flooding. We heard from the other side that a complex issue has been caused by Twitter, apparently.
What we do know is that climate change has a very serious impact when it comes to the cause of these national disasters. In the United States, an independent estimate by the U.S. Government Accountability Office is that over the past 10 years, $350 billion has been spent on national disasters: hurricanes, wildfires, and floods. These are obviously linked to climate change in a major way. In the European Union, an EU analysis found that, between 1980 and 2016, there were 436 billion euros in economic losses as a result of climate-related disasters.
When we see a line item like this, $57.1 million—and I expect that this would either stay the same or probably increase in years to come—to what extent does climate change impact the decision-making here?
:
Thank you, Mr. Spengemann.
That almost brings to an end the work of the committee on the main estimates.
On behalf of the committee, I want to thank each and every one of you for your work and your contribution to the functioning of our society.
Colleagues, we have 16 votes. First of all, I want to seek unanimous consent to group them.
Some hon. members: Agreed.
The Chair: We're voting on the main estimates in front of you.
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CANADA BORDER SERVICES AGENCY
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Vote 1—Operating expenditures..........$1,442,043,878
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Vote 5—Capital expenditures..........$197,930,474
(Votes 1 and 5 agreed to on division)
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CANADIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE SERVICE
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Vote 1—Program expenditures..........$521,451,792
(Vote 1 agreed to on division)
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CIVILIAN REVIEW AND COMPLAINTS COMMISSION FOR THE ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE
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Vote 1—Program expenditures..........$9,667,981
(Vote 1 agreed to on division)
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CORRECTIONAL SERVICE OF CANADA
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Vote 1—Operating expenditures, grants and contributions..........$2,026,625,710
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Vote 5—Capital expenditures..........$189,141,724
(Votes 1 and 5 agreed to on division)
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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
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Vote 1—Operating expenditures..........$138,311,494
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Vote 5—Grants and contributions..........$1,007,864,906
(Votes 1 and 5 agreed to on division)
OFFICE OF THE CORRECTIONAL INVESTIGATOR OF CANADA
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Vote 1—Program expenditures..........$4,129,824
(Vote 1 agreed to on division)
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Vote 1—Program expenditures..........$42,457,608
(Vote 1 agreed to on division)
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ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE
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Vote 1—Operating expenditures..........$2,531,606,533
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Vote 5—Capital expenditures..........$289,535,957
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Vote 10—Grants and contributions..........$253,673,483
(Votes 1, 5, and 10 agreed to on division)
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ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE EXTERNAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
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Vote 1—Program expenditures..........$2,872,348
(Vote 1 agreed to on division)
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SECRETARIAT OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS
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Vote 1—Program expenditures..........$3,294,747
(Vote 1 agreed to on division)
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SECURITY INTELLIGENCE REVIEW COMMITTEE
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Vote 1—Program expenditures..........$4,607,497
(Vote 1 agreed to on division)
The Chair: Shall I report the main estimates to the House?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
An hon. member: On division.
The Chair: Monsieur Paul-Hus, go ahead.