Home Newsroom 2004 Speeches (archive) McLellan: 2004-03-10

Statement to the standing committee on Justice and Human Rights- Main estimates

Speaking notes for
The Honourable Anne McLellan

Ottawa, Ontario
March 10, 2004

As delivered

Introduction

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It is indeed my pleasure to be here today to discuss the priorities of the new portfolio of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. As you've already mentioned, Mr. Chair, I have with me this afternoon the Deputy Minister, Margaret Bloodworth.

I also want to point out the representatives from my department who are with me today, some of whom will obviously be familiar to members of this committee and some perhaps not. They are Ward Elcock, Director of CSIS; Garry Loeppky, who is the Acting Commissioner of the RCMP; Alain Jolicoeur, President of our new Canada Border Services Agency; William Baker, Commissioner of the Canada Firearms Centre; Lucie McClung, Commissioner, Correctional Service of Canada; and Ian Glen, Chairperson of the National Parole Board.

Overview of PSEP

It has been three months since the creation of this portfolio, and I believe we have made excellent progress within this short time period. Canadians can be assured that this Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Paul Martin, takes very seriously the fundamental role of government to secure the public’s safety and security. The reorganization of December 12 put this message into action, integrating under one minister the core activities of the previous Department of the Solicitor General, the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness, and the National Crime Prevention Centre.

The integration of the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness within the department better prepares us to coordinate with provincial and territorial partners and respond rapidly and effectively in the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or public emergency. This will require coordination with provincial and territorial partners. In some cases, we have co-located operation centres with the provinces and territories and are looking at the feasibility of further co-location.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) was also created within the portfolio as a focal point for intelligence-sharing between immigration and law enforcement partners and will be responsible for detention and removals.

The CBSA assumes all of the customs responsibilities at the border and points of entry and will take a leadership role in what continues to be a major priority – ensuring a "smart border" that is open for commerce but closed to terrorists and criminals.

The pooling of resources and capabilities in the new portfolio means that we can operate more strategically and effectively to protect Canadians.

The portfolio has an annual budget of nearly $5 billion and more than 55,000 employees working in every part of our country, from coast to coast to coast. Nearly half of these are members of our national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Other staff include correctional officers, parole officers, customs officers, and intelligence officers, as well as policy, operations, and program delivery personnel.

Having all this expertise under one banner will allow for better integration across the public safety spectrum, linking front-end measures, such as emergency preparedness, crime prevention, community policing, and border management, with back-end interventions, such as corrections and parole.

Broadly speaking, our mandate has remained the same – that is, ensuring a just and safe society in which Canadians are protected from threats to personal safety, while ensuring the rights on which Canada’s open society depends.

When we think of public safety, we often think of threats that are close to home, such as property crimes or crimes against individuals. But the reality is that we must be prepared to counter a range of threats, from threats to national security that are directed at society as a whole, to naturally occurring events such as severe blizzards, floods, or forest fires.

Our portfolio will play an even greater leadership role in public safety and security initiatives, both domestically and internationally. These initiatives reflect key themes such as the protection of children and vulnerable persons, safer communities for Aboriginal peoples, a more effective criminal justice system, and enhanced emergency preparedness. Throughout all our initiatives, we recognize the need for greater transparency and accountability, as well as both domestic and international partnerships.

Our work will also be guided by the creation of a new, integrated policy for national security and emergencies, announced by the Prime Minister on December 12. Over the coming months, my department will be leading this initiative, which will set out Canada's national security interests and a blueprint for protecting Canadians against current and emerging threats.

Also on December 12, the Government established a new Cabinet Committee on Security, Public Health and Emergencies, which I chair. This committee will serve to manage national security issues and coordinate government-wide responses to all emergencies.

December's announcement also included the creation of a new National Security Committee of Parliamentarians, which will play an important role in reviewing national security issues. We are now launching a process to develop the design and terms of reference for this Committee. We are looking at models and best practices from around the world, notably the United States, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. This process will take some time, but the goal is clear – we want to ensure that this Committee plays a relevant and integral role in the review of Canada's national security activities.

Strengthening Domestic Collaboration

Canadians enjoy one of the safest societies in the world, and rates of crime are the lowest they have been in decades. Our success lies in close cooperation, particularly in the areas of crime prevention, law enforcement, the criminal justice system and emergency management.

We are striving to strengthen these extensive partnerships through a number of means. For example:

• We are promoting the philosophy of community policing by actively involving the community, enabling police agencies to develop the most effective crime-fighting strategies.
• We are working with other jurisdictions to address the root causes of crime by using social development strategies to guide crime prevention initiatives. For example, we have developed a multi-level partnership project with the City of Vancouver to reduce crime and victimization in the Downtown Eastside. Through teamwork with residents, local solutions are being developed for local problems.
• We are pursuing criminal justice goals in a more integrated way by engaging provincial and territorial partners in new efforts to achieve a more effective and seamless criminal justice system. For example, we are looking to explore different approaches to dealing with crime, such as through restorative justice and drug treatment courts, which allow for the active involvement of victims, offenders and communities in making society safer.
• We are also exploring ways to enhance cooperation with provinces and territories, as well as other government departments on emergency management issues, recognizing that effective responses require a coordinated response.

Throughout these initiatives and countless others, we will continue to engage the participation of communities, first responders, the voluntary and private sectors, provinces, territories and our criminal justice partners.

This will help ensure that federal programs and initiatives implemented at the local level remain responsive to the needs of Canada's diverse communities.

Modern Approaches to Public Safety

I would like to turn now to one of the most critical challenges – the use and sharing of information for public safety and national security purposes, and how this is balanced with privacy concerns. Our policies and practices must be guided by standards that reflect Canadian values.

This has been our approach, as many of you know, with the proposed Public Safety Act, now in its second reading in the Senate. As vital as this bill is to transportation and national security, we are ensuring that our response to security issues is appropriately balanced with fundamental interests, such as privacy and civil rights. Various safeguards are being built into the legislation to increase transparency, accountability and privacy protection.

These same principles guide the Integrated Justice Information initiative, spearheaded by a commitment in 1997 to integrating information systems of all partners in Canada's criminal justice system. The initiative aims to break down information "stovepipes" that previously existed between federal organizations by, for example, enabling better access to relevant information on criminals at the front line, while maintaining – and in some cases increasing – safeguards to protect personal information.

Additional funding for the initiative was provided in the Budget 2001 to enhance information sharing and improve public safety. The addition of the new public safety elements of this portfolio should enable us to enhance such exchanges where appropriate, bearing in mind privacy concerns.

While we seek to use technology to promote safer communities, we must do our best to prevent criminals and terrorists from exploiting technology for their own ends. One example of this is the lawful access initiative, which involves the updating of legislation to provide for legal interception of new forms of communications by law enforcement and national security agencies. While protecting the rights of law-abiding Canadians, modernized lawful access laws will make it much more difficult for criminals to cover their tracks when they use new and emerging technologies to facilitate their crimes.

Enhancing Canada-U.S. Relations

Advances in technology and the globalization of crime have called for unprecedented levels of international cooperation and coordination to counter trans-national crime. More than ever, Canada's well-being is affected by a sense of interdependence – within our borders, continentally, and on a global basis.

That is why we are working more closely with the international community, especially our neighbours to the south. We are not interested in merely maintaining the tradition of close collaboration with the United States on public safety and security issues – we are committed to strengthening it.

Although our new public safety portfolio is not a mirror image of the more extensive U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the portfolio's expanded mandate will facilitate how we interact – both at the political level and throughout our Administrations.

As some of you know, one of my first items of business was meeting with my U.S. counterparts in Washington in January. This provided an opportunity to discuss the tremendous progress on the Canada-U.S. Smart Border Declaration. In just over two years, many initiatives have either been completed, or are in the final stages of implementation.

For example, the NEXUS program for pre-approved movement of travellers is now operational at 10 border crossings, with another three sites confirmed for expansion. The free and secure trade program, otherwise known as FAST, is now functional at the 12 highest volume commercial crossings, representing 80% of commercial traffic between Canada and the United States.

Clearly, ensuring the secure and efficient flow of the $1.9 billion in daily trade across our border is much more than a public safety issue – it is also an economic imperative for both of our countries.

We will keep building on the success of the Declaration, as we pursue a new, more sophisticated approach to our relationship. Wherever possible and appropriate, we will look at collaborating more closely with the United States. But obviously, this must be done in a way that is consistent with privacy concerns, human rights, and Canadian laws.

Conclusion

I have spoken about strengthening linkages, not only domestically, but also internationally. Along the way, we will work on fine tuning this new public safety department. We will continue to implement our Anti-Terrorism Plan, enhancing law enforcement and security intelligence capacity, improving screening of immigrants and refugees and visitors, boosting emergency preparedness and response, and completing a series of measures with the United States to ensure an open and secure border.

As part of a broad initiative to increase transparency and accountability, we are looking to establish a review mechanism for the RCMP's activities with respect to national security.

In so doing, we must engage civil society in public safety issues to ensure Canadian core values are maintained in the new threat environment in which we live. We must build public confidence in our public safety and security systems and ensure they remain fair, progressive, and uniquely Canadian.

By working together, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, I believe we will ensure that our physical and economic security are stronger than ever.

Mr. Chair, I would now be pleased to take your questions, comments and suggestions.

Thank you.