Home Newsroom 2005 Speeches (archive) McLellan: 2005-05-17

Standing committee on Justice, Human Rights, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness- Main estimates

Notes for a statement by
The Honourable Anne McLellan
 
Ottawa, Ontario
May 17, 2005

As delivered

It is a great pleasure to be here again before this committee. It gives us the opportunity to review my portfolio spending plans for 2005-06. Before I go any further, however, Mr. Chair, let me introduce the people who are with me.

• Margaret Bloodworth, Deputy Minister, Public Safety and Emergency Planning Canada.
• Monsieur Alain Jolicoeur, President of the Canada Border Services Agency.
• Jim Judd, Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
• Lucy McClung, Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada.
• Ian Glen, Chair of the National Parole Board.
• William Baker, Commissioner of Canada Firearms Centre.
• Giuliano Zaccardelli, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Mr. Chair, members of the committee, since the events of September 11th, the Government of Canada has invested more than $9.5 billion in initiatives to strengthen national security, to improve emergency preparedness and our response to emergency situations, and to contribute to international security. But the work must continue.

In budget 2005 the government reaffirmed it's commitment to ensuring a safe and secure society and in meeting Canada's global responsibilities.

For example, $56 million over five years will go to the emergency management initiatives and $34 million over five years will be invested in pandemic influenza preparedness.

$222 million is being allocated over five years to enhance the security of the country's marine transportation system, and $88 million will support, over five years, Canada's work with the United States to increase targeting and sharing information on high-risk cargo.

We are building a more secure border with additional funding of $433 million to enhance the government's capacity to manage the flow of people and goods to and from Canada.

The integrated proceeds of crime initiative will receive $117 million over the next five years to continue the important work of seizing profits and assets from criminal organizations in an effort to combat organized crime.

Our focus today is on how these investments, and my portfolio's main estimates will help to protect Canadians. I'd like to give you some examples of how our programs do that.

Let me first start with the National Crime Prevention Centre. The centre demonstrates how we work with key partners across Canada to create and sustain safer communities. Since it was established in 1998 the centre has supported more than 4000 projects in over 800 communities.

The San Romano Way revitalization project in the Jane-Finch area of Toronto is one of these efforts of the center. Between 2002 and 2004 this collaborative effort involving the National Crime Prevention Centre, law enforcement, local businesses and community groups help to reduce violent crimes, property crimes and break-ins, all by over 20%. Residents of the community also report significant reductions in vandalism, alcohol and drug abuse, youth gangs and family violence. We need more projects like San Romano Way and we need the committee's support for these estimates to make such projects happen.

The main estimates include funding of $6.2 million for the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Centre, which links police agencies across Canada to aid investigations of child sexual exploitation using the Internet. In its first year of operation, the centre has supported law enforcement to identify 55 Canadian victims through these integrated investigations.

Important progress is being made through the firearms programs to ensure that guns are kept out of the hands of those who should not have them. Over 13,500 licenses have been revoked or refused. Police have direct access to the Canadian Firearms Registry Database and are using its information to respond to calls, prevent crime and investigate offences.

In the past two years, the centre has streamlined the administration of the program, reducing operating expenditures and improving service to Canadians. In these estimates, spending on the firearms' centre is reduced by 18% from last year, and a 59% reduction from 2000-01.

Another priority for my portfolio is emergency management and preparedness. While the new Government Operations Centre is now ready to provide around the clock coordination and support in the event of a national emergency, additional funding is needed - and provided for in these current estimates - to increase staffing, strengthen the centre's capacity and to further modernize the Government of Canada's emergency operations systems.

Our spending plans for 2005-06 also include approximately $5 million for the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program or JEPP, to improve emergency response and recovery capacity across the country through grants to governments, communities and first responders.

Last year this program provided 413 grants, such as $44,000 toward the cost of a new hazardous materials emergency vehicle and generator for the district of Campbell River in British Columbia and $10,000 toward the purchase of a backup generator for the emergency response command centre in Channel-Port aux Basque, Newfoundland.

I am also pleased to report that we have made excellent progress in implementing the National Security Policy that I tabled in the House just over one year ago. Of particular note is the creation of the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security, which held its first meeting here in Ottawa in March and will meet again in Vancouver this month. This Cross-Cultural Roundtable is ensuring constructive dialogue with diverse Canadian communities on the national security agenda.

The Integrated Threats Assessment Centre began operations in October 2004 and has completed more than 50 comprehensive threat assessments to share with key partners in the intelligence and law enforcement communities. These estimates include allocations to build the capacity of the centre and to allow CSIS to increase its capacity in various key areas such as security screening.

The final priority I would like to mention this morning is our collaboration with the United States. We have made excellent progress over the past three years on the 32-point Smart Border Action Plan, an ambitious framework for Canada-U.S. cooperation on our shared border. The NEXUS Highway initiative has attracted 75,000 participants in British Columbia and Ontario alone. As well, almost 450 carriers and more than 39,000 truck drivers are participating in the Free and Secure Trade, or FAST, program.

These estimates provide for more than $70 million in technology investments to improve border management and to increase the efficiency of border operations through improved maintenance and information technology programs. The estimates also continue funding for existing programs such as our Integrated Border Enforcement Teams, or IBETs: bi-national, multi-agency, law enforcement units that are targeting cross-border criminal and terrorist activity. We now have 23 teams in 15 regions covering the entire border across the country.

The Central St. Lawrence Valley IBET for example seized hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of contraband recently, including cigarettes, weapons, marijuana, and ecstasy, and that operation was carried out over a six-month period between October 2004 and March 2005.

Former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, Tom Ridge, recently in a speech in Toronto, praised Canada as an able partner in guarding the world's longest border and as a defender against terrorism. I quote from Mr. Ridge, my former colleague.

"I don't accept the thesis that Canada is lenient or hasn't done what it needs to do to advance their interest and doing their share to combat terrorism. The law enforcement and intelligence community collaboration is excellent."

Mr. Chair, members of the committee, the estimates documents we are reviewing today will finalize a total appropriation of almost $5.4 billion in funding for the departments and agencies for which I am responsible. They are investments that Canada needs, that Canadians want and expect, and that this government stands behind as necessary, reasonable, and deserving of this committee's support.

I would be pleased at this point, as would any of the people with me this morning from my department, to accept the committee's comments and questions.

Thank you. Merci beaucoup.