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Home   Newsroom 2006 News releases 2006-05-08: Introduction of the proposed Emergency Management Act
Current legislative framework- The current Emergency Preparedness Act (1988) establishes civil emergency planning and preparedness as key government responsibilities; outlines roles for the Minister of Public Safety and all other Ministers; provides for federal-provincial cooperation; and enables post-disaster financial assistance to provinces.
- The current Act requires modernizing to provide the necessary authorities for the Government of Canada to address the challenges of the evolving threat environment (including the need to coordinate federal assistance for emergencies within the Canada-U.S. context), and to provide greater accountability for emergency management planning within the Government of Canada by setting guidelines and best practices.
- The Emergencies Act (EA) is often associated with the Emergency Preparedness Act; however, the function of these two statutes is quite different. The Emergencies Act is Parliament’s instrument of last resort to deal with emergencies when all other laws in Canada prove inadequate.
New legislation- The purpose of the proposed Emergency Management Act is to strengthen the capability of the Government of Canada to mitigate the impact of, prevent or prepare for, and respond to incidents of all types and scope, known as “all hazards” in Canada. Emergency management requires a collective effort between all jurisdictions including the private sector and non-governmental organizations.
- Critical infrastructure protection is one of the emerging challenges of modern emergency management. Critical infrastructure includes physical and information technology facilities, networks, services and assets that are vital to the health, safety, security or economic well-being of Canadians. The interdependence of cyber and critical infrastructures and its integration with American and global systems makes the challenge that much more complex. This calls for widespread cooperation and information sharing with the private sector and all jurisdictions on cyber threats, incidents, and protective measures.
- Within the proposed Emergency Management Act, the Access to Information Act is being amended. This is to give clear protection to information provided by a third party in confidence to the Government of Canada that, if disclosed, would expose the vulnerability of critical infrastructures or security measures in place for its protection.
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