Public Safety Canada's 2024 to 2025 Departmental Plan
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From the Ministers
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
P.C., K.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan
P.C., O.M.M., M.S.M., C.D., M.P.
President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
As Ministers overseeing Public Safety Canada's initiatives, we are pleased to present the 2024 to 2025 Departmental Plan. In an era characterized by upheaval and uncertainty in various corners of the globe, as well as more frequent natural disasters, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Canadians.
Throughout the next year, our efforts will encompass a wide range of evolving threats. That includes threats posed by foreign interference or people espousing violent, extremist views, at a time when conflicts are unfolding around the globe. Following consultations with Canadians, Public Safety Canada is refining a proposal for the creation of a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry. We are also establishing a National Counter-Foreign Interference Coordinator, building on the robust foundation laid in this area over the last number of years.
Our dedication to countering radicalization to violence in the current threat environment is unwavering. The Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence will continue to lead the Government of Canada's efforts to advance the National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence, including through the Community Resilience Fund, with 27 new projects signed and in development for the next fiscal year. Canada will continue to work with international allies, civil society, digital industry, and frontline practitioners, taking a whole-of-society approach to prevent online platforms from being used as tools to incite violence and promote hatred.
Addressing the escalating challenges of cyber threats, this year we will develop and implement a new National Cyber Security Strategy. Collaborating with industry, other orders of Government, and other key stakeholders, our goal is to strengthen the cyber security of all Canadians and Canada's critical infrastructure. In an era of rapidly evolving technology and online engagement, we will also continue to work to address disinformation, as well as fostering trust in our public institutions. In 2024 to 2025 the Department will engage with stakeholders to protect vital assets and systems, including through the renewal of Canada's approach to critical infrastructure. As a result of the significant work to address identified concerns and improve Canada's cyber security posture, including in 5G technology, the Government will continue work following the introduction of Bill C-26, An Act Respecting Cyber Security, intended to promote cyber security across four federally-regulated critical infrastructure sectors.
Following the Royal Assent of Bill C-21, a key part of Canada's plan concerning firearms, Public Safety Canada will continue to work towards the launch of the Firearms Compensation Program for businesses.
We are also dedicated to advancing public safety for Indigenous people. Collaborative efforts with Indigenous partners will continue in order to advance work to recognize First Nations police services as essential services through legislation, implement investments in Indigenous policing and community safety, and advance work on Inuit and Métis community safety priorities. The Department will also continue to address the need for policing reforms, improved inter-jurisdictional collaboration, and holistic approaches to improve community safety. Work will continue to break the cycle of reoffending, to support rehabilitation and safe reintegration, and to address overrepresentation in the justice system. This year, the Department will engage provinces and territories on initiatives of shared interest, while leading work to strengthen linkages with related initiatives, such as the National Action Plan to end Gender-Based Violence.
One of the Department's critical undertakings this year involves a comprehensive assessment of the contract policing program, led by the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs. This evaluation, conducted in consultation with relevant stakeholders, aims to align policing services with communities' long-term visions. Building on the upcoming completion of the contract policing “What We Heard” report, Public Safety Canada, in conjunction with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, expects to initiate more detailed discussions with contract jurisdictions throughout 2024 to 2025, on the future vision of contract policing across the country, beyond the expiry of the current contracts in 2032.
Keeping people safe also means strengthening emergency management capacity and response expertise – a commitment reinforced by the unprecedented and historic 2023 wildfire season impacting regions across Canada. The Government Operations Centre will continue to support our preparedness for future emergencies with partners across the country, and to lead coordination of the integrated federal response to emergency events in Canada. In 2024 to 2025, construction of the new Government Operations Centre's facility will be complete, with the aim to support a modernized federal approach to emergency preparedness and response, enabling partners to collaborate, learn, engage and practice their functional roles and responsibilities. In collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, the Department will also update, and continue implementing, the joint Federal-Provincial-Territorial Emergency Management Strategy Action Plan.
Following the release of the first National Adaptation Strategy and Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan, the Department will continue efforts to enhance disaster recovery and resilience, including work to stand up a flood insurance program, aimed at protecting households at high risk of flooding and without access to adequate insurance. The Department will also work with partners in 2024 to 2025 on enhancing the public availability of key data, including flood maps, to ensure that Canadians and their communities have vital information on the risks they may face so that they can better prepare and mitigate against emergencies such as extreme weather. Additionally, the department will work with provincial and territorial governments on implementing a modernized Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements, and will continue to work with all federal partners on a breadth of Emergency Management related activities, such as the work being done on wildfire risk management.
We invite all Canadians to explore this report, to gain insights into Public Safety Canada's plans for the year ahead, and to learn more about our commitment to ensuring the safety of all Canadians.
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan
President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services
Core responsibilities and internal services:
National Security
In this section
- Description
- Quality of life impacts
- Results and targets
- Plans to achieve results
- Key risks
- Snapshot of planned resources in 2024 to 2025
- Related government priorities
- Program inventory
Description
Public Safety Canada develops policy, legislation and programs to support Canada's capacity to respond to a range of national security threats directed against Canadians, our critical infrastructure and our cyber systems while advancing national counter terrorism efforts.
Quality of life impacts
This core responsibility contributes to the “Good Governance” domain of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada related to “personal safety”, “perceptions of neighbourhood safety”, “confidence in institutions,” and “misinformation/trust in media” through all of the activities mentioned in the core responsibility description.
Results and targets
The following tables show, for each departmental result related to National Security, the indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024 to 2025.
Indicator |
2020 to 2021 resultFootnote 1 |
2021 to 2022 resultFootnote 2 |
2022 to 2023 resultFootnote 3 |
Target |
Date to achieve |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada's ranking on the Global Terrorism Index |
≥ 82 |
March 31, 2025 |
|||
Percentage of the population who thinks that the Government of Canada respects individual rights and freedoms while ensuring the safety of CanadiansFootnote 7 |
N/A |
N/A |
46%Footnote 8 |
≥ 70% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of the population who thinks that the right mechanisms are in place to identify national security threats in Canada |
N/A |
57%Footnote 9 |
63% |
≥ 60% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of the population who thinks that the right mechanisms are in place to respond to national security threats in Canada |
N/A |
69%Footnote 10 |
63% |
≥ 60% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of partners who indicate that Public Safety Canada provided effective policy leadership and operational coordination on national security issues |
N/AFootnote 11 |
76% |
55%Footnote 12 |
≥ 75% |
March 31, 2025 |
Critical Infrastructure Resilience Score |
35.84 |
35.81 |
34.67 |
≥ 34.2 |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of partners who indicate that Public Safety Canada provides effective leadership in advancing Canada's cyber security interests |
100% |
89%Footnote 13 |
83% |
≥ 80% |
March 31, 2025 |
Canada's ranking in the National Cyber Security IndexFootnote 14 |
27 |
37 |
33 |
≥ Ranked 30thFootnote 15 |
March 31, 2025 |
The financial, human resources and performance information for Public Safety Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Plans to achieve results
In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will seek to achieve its National Security departmental result through advancing the following commitments:
Foreign Interference
Foreign Interference threatens Canada's national security, prosperity and sovereignty, and it can affect all individuals in Canada – from government officials and civil society, to communities, businesses, academia and the media. In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will engage in numerous efforts to address foreign interference, including:
- Supporting the ongoing national public inquiry into political foreign interference;
- Further building the office and function of the National Counter-Foreign Interference Coordinator;
- Refining a proposal for the potential creation of a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry to shed light on arrangements and activities undertaken in partnership with foreign governments and their proxies;
- Exploring potential amendments, in partnership with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Department of Justice, to other legislative tools to counter foreign interference, including the Criminal Code, the Security of Information Act, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act and the Canada Evidence Act;
- Engaging with domestic and international partners, and leading on developing horizontal policy;
- Advancing a whole-of-government counter-foreign interference strategy in coordination with interdepartmental and international partners, aimed at increasing awareness and fortifying whole-of-society resilience; and providing recommendations and advice to combat foreign interference; and,
- Supporting the safeguarding of Canada's research ecosystem via initiatives delivered through the Research Security Centre, including the delivery of Safeguarding Science workshops to help frontline researchers protect their hard earned research, and implementing the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships and the new Policy framework on Sensitive Research Areas of Concern to coordinate security advice to federal research funding agencies to facilitate risk-informed decision making.
Countering economic-based threats to national security
In 2024 to 2025, the Department will continue to develop and implement policy to address economic-based threats to national security while maintaining a positive climate for innovation and investment. To achieve this, Public Safety Canada will engage with provinces and territories through a community of practice; and publish a Sensitive Technology List which will inform several key programs and help safeguard sensitive technology against unwanted transfer, which have the potential for injury to national security and defence.
Also, the Department will continue leading the assessment of foreign investments under the national security provisions of the Investment Canada Act, in collaboration with designated investigative bodies across the Government of Canada, as well as implementing amendments to the Act should Bill C-34: An Act to amend the Investment Canada Act, pass into law.
Cyber Security
In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will advance it's commitment to ensuring Canadian cyber security by:
- Releasing a new National Cyber Security Strategy, that articulates every Canadian's role in a strong, cyber secure Canada. The Strategy is envisioned to introduce a new strategic direction for cyber security in Canada, and will help ensure that all Canadians can reap the benefits of a free, open, and secure cyberspace;
- Steering Bill C-26: An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts through the legislative process, ensuring close collaboration with Canadians, other levels of governments and industry throughout regulatory development. This proposed legislation is envisioned to protect Canadians and form the foundation for securing Canada's critical infrastructure against evolving cyber threats and is part of Canada's continuous efforts to improve national cyber security posture; and,
- Socializing the Federal Cyber Incident Response Plan (FCIRP) across governments and the private sector through engagements, exercises, and real cyber events. The FCIRP will be reviewed yearly, using the lessons-learned from stakeholders after cyber events, so that the Government of Canada can adapt to the everchanging threat environment.
Other Commitments
In addition, the Department will advance other commitments, including:
- Leading the ongoing implementation of passenger screening under the Secure Air Travel Act, ensuring that individuals who pose a threat to aviation security or who may travel by air for the purpose of committing a terrorist offence are prevented from travelling to, from and within Canada;
- Implementing the National Security Transparency Commitment across federal departments and agencies with national security responsibilities. It will publish a fourth report via the National Security Transparency Advisory Group (NS-TAG), exploring digital tools and emerging technologies in the protection of national security, and NS-TAG will continue to be engaged on the issue of advancing broader social cohesion, as needed;
- Conducting a review of the entities currently listed under the Criminal Code, in line with statutory requirements;
- Leading the Domestic Ransomware Working Group (RWG), a working-level interdepartmental effort to ensure that Canada has a thorough, cross-cutting understanding of the national security and public safety threat that ransomware poses, enabling informed domestic policy direction, and allowing for stronger international collaboration, such as through the U.S.- led Counter Ransomware Initiative;
- Conducting a comprehensive review of the threat landscape and existing tools and developing strategies to ensure that Canada is well-equipped to meet new and evolving threats in the terrorism and violent extremism landscape and that Canada's measures to counter terrorism and violent extremism are consistent with Canadian values, including transparency and accountability, the rule of law and respect for rights and freedoms;
- Responding to global security challenges through robust engagement with key bilateral and multilateral partners, including Mexico, the United States (U.S.) and other Five Eyes countries, and through multilateral fora such as the G7 (e.g., the Roma-Lyon Group), the Five Country Ministerial, the Public Safety-Department of Homeland Security Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism Working Group, and the United Nations;
- Continuing to contribute to the Government of Canada's response to support Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence;
- Implementing initiatives under Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, such as finalizing plans to supplement departmental resources for the Cyber Security and Diplomacy initiative. These resources will provide enhanced support to international engagement and capacity-building efforts by providing domestic policy expertise in conjunction with other government departments;
- Continuing its contribution to Canada's integrated response to the crisis in Haiti as a Canadian Police Arrangement management partner with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Global Affairs Canada; and,
- Releasing a renewed strategy for critical infrastructure (CI) that will complement and build on existing related areas of work in a national, economic, and cyber security context; continuing to work in collaboration with public and private sector partners to ensure that Canada's renewed approach to CI security and resilience adequately responds to the evolving threat landscape, while maintaining public trust.
Key risks
Public Safety Canada's mission is to build a safe and resilient Canada. Accordingly, the Department must exercise a high level of awareness, engagement and adaptability to keep Canadians safe, maintain a cohesive and coordinated approach to safety and security, and generate results for Canadians while managing a variety of risks. Currently, the Corporate Risk Profile (CRP) comprises of five risks.
There is a risk that Public Safety Canada may not:
- Be able to keep pace with, and take advantage of, technological advances in areas related to its mandate, particularly in the context of information technology;
- Be able to effectively manage threats and workloads at the pace and magnitude required in an all-hazards threat environment due to departmental capacity;
- Receive partners' full cooperation which could delay policy and program implementation;
- Attract and retain the human resources required to achieve program and organizational objectives; and
- Consistently weigh strategic and operational considerations in its collection, storage, sharing and publication of data to deliver on policy and program commitments.
A number of controls are currently in place and additional mitigation measures are being implemented to respond to threats to the Department's ability to deliver on its mandate, render timely decisions and achieve intended outcomes. Furthermore, some of the planned initiatives listed in the previous section will help the Department respond to the risks associated with the delivery of Public Safety Canada programs.
Snapshot of planned resources in 2024 to 2025
- Planned spending: $34,453,992
- Planned full-time resources: 213 full-time equivalents
Related government priorities
Gender-based analysis plus
- Research Security Centre: The Research Security Centre will continue to evaluate its quality of service through surveys to be distributed to Safeguarding Science workshop attendees. Furthermore, all interactions and questions posed by the research community will continue to be recorded to ensure consistency of service across the country. Also, Public Safety Canada will collect disaggregated data, captured in a quarterly dashboardon the types of granting applications received from granting councils for a national security review which includes a breakdown based on research institution, private sector partner, and private sector partner country of origin.
- Canada's Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security: Public Safety Canada will continue to support Canada's Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security through a number of international and domestic commitments that promote gender equality; empowerment of women, girls and gender diverse groups; respect for human rights; and, inclusion and respect for diversity. Some examples include countering extremist violence targeting women; positioning policing services to better respond and investigate violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people; increasing resilience to disasters and reducing the vulnerability of Canada's most at-risk populations among others.
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
More information on Public Safety Canada's contributions to Canada's Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.
Program inventory
National Security is supported by the following programs:
- National Security Leadership
- Critical Infrastructure
- Cyber Security
Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Public Safety Canada's program inventory is available on GC Infobase.
Community Safety
In this section
- Description
- Quality of life impacts
- Results and targets
- Plans to achieve results
- Key risks
- Snapshot of planned resources in 2024 to 2025
- Related government priorities
- Program inventory
Description
Public Safety Canada provides national coordination to help Canadian communities and stakeholders respond to crime and build community resilience, promote the safety and security of Canadian communities and institutions, enhance the integrity of Canada's borders, and support the provision of policing services to Indigenous communities.
Quality of life impacts
This core responsibility contributes to the “Good Governance” domain of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada. More specifically, through the activities outlined in the core responsibility description and planned to achieve its objectives, this core responsibility contributes to the following indicators: “Confidence in institutions,” “Indigenous self-determination”, all but “household emergency preparedness” under the “Safety and Security” sub-domain, and all of the indicators under the “Justice and Human Rights” sub-domain.
Results and targets
The following tables show, for each departmental result related to Community Safety, the indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024 to 2025.
Indicator |
2020 to 2021 resultFootnote 16 |
2021 to 2022 resultFootnote 17 |
2022 to 2023 resultFootnote 18 |
Target |
Date to achieve |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Percentage of stakeholders who report consulting Public Safety research or policy documents to inform their decision making |
91% |
78% |
70% |
≥ 70% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of stakeholders who report good or very good results of projects funded through Public Safety Canada's Community Resilience Fund, in line with project objectives |
92% |
85% |
84% |
≥ 80% |
March 31, 2025 |
Number of new research products available to Canadians on radicalization to violence and efforts to prevent and counter it |
40 |
35 |
41 |
≥ 5Footnote 19 |
March 31, 2025 |
Number of Canadians who are aware of Government of Canada initiatives to reduce gun violence and new laws and regulations related to firearms in Canada |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
≥ 2,000,000 |
March 31, 2025 |
Indicator |
2020 to 2021 resultFootnote 20 |
2021 to 2022 resultFootnote 21 |
2022 to 2023 resultFootnote 22 |
Target |
Date to achieve |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
73.96Footnote 24 |
74.90Footnote 25 |
78.10Footnote 26 |
≤ 70.1 |
March 31, 2025 |
|
Police-reported crime rate per 100,000 populationFootnote 27 |
5,301 |
5,375Footnote 28 |
5,625Footnote 29 |
≤ 5,200 |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of Canadians who think that crime in their neighbourhood has decreasedFootnote 30 |
6.5% |
N/A |
N/A |
≥ 4% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of Canadians who report driving a vehicle within two hours following cannabis useFootnote 31 |
19% |
21%Footnote 32 |
23%Footnote 33 |
≤ 20% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of firearm-related homicides in CanadaFootnote 34 |
36.6% |
37.7% |
39.2% |
≤ 40% |
March 31, 2025 |
Indicator |
2020 to 2021 resultFootnote 35 |
2021 to 2022 resultFootnote 36 |
2022 to 2023 resultFootnote 37 |
Target |
Date to achieve |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Percentage of projects where participants experienced positive changes in risk and protective factors related to offending |
58%Footnote 38 |
53%Footnote 39 |
85%Footnote 40 |
≥ 75% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of programs targeting at-risk populations that achieve the intended participation rate |
N/A |
67%Footnote 41 |
77% |
≥ 75% |
March 31, 2025 |
Difference between police reported crime in First Nation communities and police reported crime in the rest of CanadaFootnote 42 |
21,474 |
21,806Footnote 43 |
20,399Footnote 44 |
≤12,000 |
March 31, 2025 |
The financial, human resources and performance information for Public Safety Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Plans to achieve results
In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will seek to achieve its Community Safety departmental results through the following commitments:
Firearms and gun control
Public Safety Canada will work with federal partners to support the effective and timely implementation of firearms measures that keep Canadians safe, including those enacted through Bill C-21, which received Royal Assent on December 15, 2023. In addition to developing regulatory proposals to implement certain measures in Bill C-21, including the centralization of Authorizations to Carry, enhanced licence revocation provisions and exemption for Olympic and Paralympic handgun shooting disciplines, the Department will develop an awareness campaign in support of the new “Red Flag” laws. In support of this work, Public Safety Canada will engage with Indigenous partners and external stakeholders.
In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will also continue work towards the launch of the Firearms Compensation Program (FCP) for businesses. The FCP complements the May 1, 2020 prohibition of assault-style firearms and supports the Government's mandate and commitment to safely and securely remove these firearms from Canadian communities. The FCP will provide impacted firearms businesses access to a user-friendly Web Portal to enable their participation in the Program and receive compensation for turning in their now-prohibited assault-style firearms.
Policing in Indigenous Communities
Supporting the delivery of responsive, dedicated, professional and culturally sensitive Indigenous policing services remains a key commitment for Public Safety Canada. The co-development of First Nations policing legislation, that recognizes First Nations police services as essential services, is critical to addressing Calls to Action related to self-determination from the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and a key component of Public Safety Canada's efforts towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Informed by engagements in Summer 2023, the Department will continue to advance the co-development of the legislation, working in collaboration with First Nation partners.
In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will also continue to work with provincial and territorial (PT) partners to deliver Budget 2021 investments that aim to support self-administered First Nations and Inuit police services, dedicated community policing by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other police forces, and to deliver a pilot program for community safety officers. This includes ongoing discussions with PT partners to improve program governance in response to concerns raised by First Nation and Inuit communities. Public Safety Canada will also work to improve the design and delivery of these programs in response to the recommendations of the 2023 to 2024 audit of the Auditor General.
Finally, the Department will continue ongoing collaboration with Métis towards the co-development of a Justice and Policing Sub-Accord, as per the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan, and will work with Inuit groups to define Inuit-specific policing and community safety priorities.
Law Enforcement Reform
The Department will continue to advance policing reforms, improve interjurisdictional collaboration, and support holistic approaches to improve community safety. A key driver of these efforts are the final reports of the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) and the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC), which were released in 2023, as well as the ongoing review of the Contract Policing program.
Following the finalization and publication of a “What we heard” report related to the Contract Policing assessment, the Department will prepare for the next phase of engagement anticipated for Summer/Fall 2024, which will entail more detailed discussions around program vision post 2032 with contract jurisdictions. The Department will also review and determine, in collaboration with the RCMP, a way forward to address the recommendations outlined in the Final report of the POEC and the MCC Final Report. These recommendations were broad and outlined the need for critical law enforcement reform, including improving policing of public order events, crisis management and critical incident response, internal and external communications and documentation, police culture and where law enforcement fits within the wider community safety cadre.
In addition, Public Safety Canada will continue to work, alongside the RCMP, with jurisdictions that have served notice to terminate their Municipal Police Service Agreements in order to establish their own independent police services, including Surrey, British Columbia and Grande Prairie, Alberta by establishing governance structures and processes to oversee the joint planning and implementation of the police transitions.
National Strategy to Counter Radicalization to Violence
The Department will continue to support three key priority areas in the National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence (CRV): building, sharing and using knowledge; addressing radicalization to violence in the online space; and supporting front-line interventions through the Community Resilience Fund.
Key to advancing these priorities will be in the execution of a renewed Stakeholder Engagement Plan to best inform policy and research efforts aimed at addressing radicalization to violence online and offline. The Plan will be achieved through leadership and engagement of Canadian fora and working groups, including the National Expert Committee on CRV; international advocacy and leadership, including through active engagement with the Christchurch Call to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content and the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism; and, improved awareness and collaboration.
Other Commitments
In addition, the Department will advance other commitments, including:
- Producing a national strategy to reduce gun and gang violence, and continuing to provide funding to provinces and territories (PTs) in support of enforcement, suppression, intervention and prevention initiatives, via the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence;
- Continuing to lead policy and regulatory efforts in relation to Bill C-20, An Act establishing the Public Complaints and Review Commission and amending certain Acts and statutory instruments;
- Working with partners to expand preclearance operations to enhance the safety and efficiency of U.S.-bound travel, and initiating an independent review of the Preclearance Act, 2016;
- Supporting prevention and intervention activities in municipalities and Indigenous communities for at-risk youth, through the Building Safer Communities Fund (BCSF) and Investing $51 million in local, targeted crime prevention initiatives through the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), supporting projects through the Crime Prevention Action Fund and Northern and Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund; and implementing intervention, research and awareness activities to prevent and address cyberbullying behaviours amongst youth;
- Supporting communities at risk of hate-motivated crimes to protect their gathering spaces through the Communities at risk: Security Infrastructure Program (SIP), and implementing adjustments to the SIP to make it more responsive to the needs of communities;
- Engaging community organizations and stakeholders, alongside portfolio partners (e.g., Canadian Security Intelligence Service and RCMP) and other government departments, to discuss concerns and approaches to prevent hate speech, hate-motivated crimes or violence, including to understand their security concerns and to develop responses. These efforts will include engagement with the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security and the National Experts Committee on Countering Radicalization to Violence;
- Supporting community reintegration and contributing to safer communities by working with partners to advance actions under the Implementation Plan for the Federal Framework to Reduce Recidivism, and supporting pilot projects;
- Addressing threats to the integrity of the financial system from money laundering, terrorist financing and other financial crime via: continued work by the Financial Crime Coordination Centre (FC3) to establish the Canada Financial Crimes Agency (CFCA); supporting the Parliamentary Review of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and examining options for strengthening federal laws against money laundering and similar crimes; updating FC3's Knowledge Hub Portal online and continuing to host its annual Spin Cycle anti-money laundering conference; and, publishing a report that examines current asset recovery processes in Canada and explores opportunities for improvement, in collaboration with multiple federal partners;
- Advancing National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet commitments funded under Budget 2022 ($41.6 million over 5 years, and $8.9 million ongoing) and by the Gender-Based Violence Strategy to address child sexual exploitation by: strengthening prevention, preventing offending behavior; enhancing understand the nature, patterns and impacts of this crime; and enhancing collaboration, partner capacity, and knowledge sharing;
- Continuing to implement ongoing initiatives funded through the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking 2019-2024, including supporting the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking in the operation of the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, among others;
- Addressing the supply of illegal drugs by collaborating with domestic and international partners in government, law and border enforcement to identify and disrupt illegal drug production and trafficking by: disrupting organized crime, addressing the diversion of precursor chemicals, strengthening counternarcotics information sharing with domestic and international partners, and supporting the consideration of alternatives to criminal penalties; and,
- Addressing the supply of illegal cannabis by collaborating with FPT governments and law enforcement stakeholders to advance public safety-related components of the cannabis legalization framework and protecting public safety on roadways in Canada by continuing to fund PTs and partners in enforcement, data collection, and lab work.
Key risks
Public Safety Canada's mission is to build a safe and resilient Canada. Accordingly, the Department must exercise a high level of awareness, engagement and adaptability to keep Canadians safe, maintain a cohesive and coordinated approach to safety and security, and generate results for Canadians while managing a variety of risks. Currently, the Corporate Risk Profile (CRP) comprises of five risks.
There is a risk that Public Safety Canada may not:
- Be able to keep pace with, and take advantage of, technological advances in areas related to its mandate, particularly in the context of information technology;
- Be able to effectively manage threats and workloads at the pace and magnitude required in an all-hazards threat environment due to departmental capacity;
- Receive partners' full cooperation which could delay policy and program implementation;
- Attract and retain the human resources required to achieve program and organizational objectives; and
- Consistently weight strategic and operational considerations in its collection, storage, sharing and publication of data to deliver on policy and program commitments.
A number of controls will be in place and additional mitigation measures will be implemented to respond to threats to the Department's ability to deliver on its mandate, render timely decisions and achieve intended outcomes. Furthermore, some of the planned initiatives listed in the previous section will help the Department respond to the risks associated with the delivery of Public Safety Canada programs.
Snapshot of planned resources in 2024 to 2025
- Planned spending: $819,103,631
- Planned full-time resources: 468 full-time equivalents
Related government priorities
Gender-based analysis plus
- Bill C-21: Public Safety Canada will engage Indigenous partners and external stakeholders, including women's groups, in support of the implementation of Bill C-21, including the new “red and yellow flag” laws and enhanced licence revocation provisions. This engagement will inform the development of regulatory proposals, as well as implementation planning and outreach.
- Firearms Compensation Program: The Firearms Compensation Program will collect GBA Plus data from participating owners on a voluntary basis, which will be used to report on the impact of the Program on various population groups and regions across Canada and may be used to inform the development of similar programs.
- Federal Framework to Reduce Recidivism Implementation Plan: The Framework Implementation Plan includes a focus on the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples and Black Canadians in the criminal justice system and includes actions to support their reintegration through culturally appropriate interventions. The Department will work with partners to identify the available data to measure progress in supporting reintegration and reducing overrepresentation.
- National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking: After all National Strategy projects have been completed, Public Safety Canada will develop a narrative report to better understand the reach and impact of funded projects on its intended audience, including at-risk populations. In Summer 2024, a Horizontal Evaluation of the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking will be completed and will include an assessment of how initiatives under the National Strategy have addressed the targeted marginalized and vulnerable groups.
- Anti-Human Trafficking Public Awareness Campaign: The Department will continue to plan and develop human trafficking public awareness materials that address the unique vulnerabilities faced by different groups, including messaging with a particular focus on at-risk youth and marginalized groups such as women and girls, Indigenous women and girls, migrants, and new immigrants.
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
More information on Public Safety Canada's contributions to Canada's Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.
Program inventory
Community Safety is supported by the following programs:
- Crime Prevention
- Law Enforcement and Policing
- Serious and Organized Crime
- Border Policy
- Indigenous Policing
- Corrections
Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Public Safety Canada's program inventory is available on GC Infobase.
Emergency Management
In this section
- Description
- Quality of life impacts
- Results and targets
- Plans to achieve results
- Key risks
- Snapshot of planned resources in 2024 to 2025
- Related government priorities
- Program inventory
Description
Public Safety Canada works to strengthen national emergency management to help prevent, mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from all-hazards events. Public Safety Canada provides resources and expertise to Canadian communities in support of emergency preparedness, disaster mitigation and recovery.
Quality of life impacts
This core responsibility contributes to the “Environment” and “Good governance” domains of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada and, more specifically, “Climate change adaptation,” and “Natural disasters and emergencies” (Environment) and “Household emergency preparedness” (Good Governance) through all of the activities mentioned in the core responsibility description.
Results and targets
The following tables show, for each departmental result related to Emergency Management, the indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024 to 2025.
Indicator |
2020 to 2021 resultFootnote 45 |
2021 to 2022 resultFootnote 46 |
2022 to 2023 resultFootnote 47 |
Target |
Date to achieve |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Percentage of stakeholders who participated in a Government Operations Centre-led exercise indicating the exercise program assisted their organization's preparedness |
85% |
83% |
83% |
≥ 80% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of hazards assessed through the National Risk Profile for which Government of Canada response plans are in place or in development |
N/A |
N/A |
83%Footnote 48 |
90%Footnote 49 |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements events for which provinces and territories have reported mitigation measures to prepare for, respond to, and recover from future natural disastersFootnote 50 |
48% |
51%Footnote 51 |
51%Footnote 52 |
≥ 65% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of Canadians who are aware of risks facing their household |
52% |
91%Footnote 53 |
92% |
≥ 60% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of Canadians who have taken measures to respond to risks facing their household |
11% |
25%Footnote 54 |
29%Footnote 55 |
≥ 50% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of stakeholders who indicate that the Government Operations Centre provided effective leadership and coordination for events affecting the national interest |
98% |
90% |
92% |
≥ 90% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of stakeholders who indicate that the Government Operations Centre's processes, products and tools were useful in responding to an emergency |
N/A |
N/AFootnote 56 |
89% |
≥ 80% |
March 31, 2025 |
Percentage of events that required the coordination of a federal response for which after-action activities were completed by the Government Operations Centre |
N/A |
N/A |
100% |
100% |
March 31, 2025 |
The financial, human resources and performance information for Public Safety Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.
Plans to achieve results
In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will seek to achieve its emergency management departmental result through the following commitments:
Building Pan-Canadian Flood Resilience
Public Safety Canada will work with provinces and territories to enhance pan-Canadian flood resilience, including by developing and implementing Budget 2023 commitments to stand-up a low-cost flood insurance program and provide Canadians with information on their flood hazard and risk. The insurance program will consist of a federal reinsurance product and affordability subsidy, aimed at protecting households at high risk of flooding. In 2024 to 2025, the federal government will initiate a Federal-Provincial-Territorial Deputy Minister-level committee to advance this work. In addition, the Department, with the Department of Finance Canada, will engage with industry on solutions to earthquake insurance and other evolving climate-related insurance market challenges.
Public Safety Canada will also continue working with Statistics Canada and Natural Resources Canada to develop the Flood Risk Awareness Portal. This Portal will provide centralized access to flood risk information across Canada that is based on by both hazard (flood extent) and risk (consequence, impact and exposure) and will share this information, as well as actionable guidance and resources that motivate behavioural change and inform risk reduction decision-making by Canadians. The Department will employ effective communication of flood risks to Canadians through appropriate knowledge translation, in collaboration with other government departments. It is anticipated that the Portal will be accessible in 2025.
Modernizing the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements
The Disaster Financial Assistance Agreements (DFAA) Renewal is a modernization of the 1970 DFAA program, which provides funding to province and territories for large-scale disasters caused by natural hazards. All provinces and territories are responsible for designing and delivering disaster financial assistance in their jurisdictions. The modernization will better enable the program to address the rapidly evolving climate and natural hazard landscape by cost sharing with provinces and territories actions taken to support disaster survivors, in particular vulnerable populations, mitigation, risk reduction and helping build community resilience.
In Spring 2024, Public Safety Canada will release the new program guidelines to provinces and territories and will work closely with provincial and territorial partners to update their disaster financial assistance programs in anticipation of the new program launch on April 1, 2025.
Advancing National Critical Communication Capabilities
Canada's National Public Alerting System (NPAS) is a key emergency response capability that protects the lives of Canadians, supporting strengthened governance, coordination and integration across all hazards. In 2024 to 2025, the Department will collaborate with PTs to strengthen the overall use, sustainability, continuity of service and governance of the NPAS.
The GOC will also continue to develop federal capability to notify Canadians of emergencies through the NPAS, with priority on testing of the Missile Warning Protocol, and leverage the FPT Senior Officials Responsible for Emergency Management table to develop solutions. This initiative helps Canadians respond to and mitigate the impacts of dangers through timely notifications to the public.
Renewing Canada's Emergency Management Strategy
The Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a Resilient 2030 (EM Strategy) is Canada's way of meeting its commitments under the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015 to 2030). In order to deliver on the EM Strategy, in 2024 to 2025, Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) governments will update the FPT Action Plan, which intends to demonstrate how FPT governments are preparing for future emergencies, including extreme weather events caused by climate change, by focusing on proactive prevention/mitigation efforts while ensuring robust response and recovery capabilities.
In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will also complete the work begun in 2023 to 2024 related to the National Risk Profile (NRP) to assess impacts with relation to heat events, hurricanes, and space weather, as well as the current and targeted state of emergency management capabilities. The findings of the NRP provide a picture of the risks facing Canada and shed light on how the current emergency management system is able to reduce and cope with disaster risks. In the long term, this evidence base would inform whole of society actions to support effective decision-making and investments for ensuring a safer, more resilient Canada. Public Safety Canada continues to review best practices and lessons learned from the first two rounds of risk and capability assessments to inform future methodological and reporting approaches.
Future of Emergency Management
The Government Operations Centre (GOC) is working to modernize the federal EM planning approach, leveraging national and international best practices, and which will better prepare the federal government to support the provinces and territories during emergency response. Renewing the Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP) will ensure alignment with and preparedness for future events, define requirements for implementing an up to date federal preparedness and response system, and is currently in development in consultation with federal partners. Developing and implementing a Federal Strategy for Emergency Management Information Technology and establishing a federal functional community of practice to build and support a professional emergency management workforce are essential to fully support federal preparedness and response capacity and capability in the face of the significant increase in scope and frequency of emergencies in Canada.
Other Commitments
In addition, the Department will advance other commitments, including:
- Building on the foundational national concept of operations for Heavy Urban Search And Rescue (HUSAR) and deciding on an national accreditation body in consultation with provincial and territorial partners;
- Continuing to fund the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment to serve as the Knowledge Exchange Hub of the National Research Consortium on Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), and to continue to offer the Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy pilot to public safety personnel in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia;
- Continuing to work with stakeholders and other government departments on a renewed PTSI Action Plan;
- Advancing efforts under the National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) and the Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan (i.e., the policy and program framework that outlines how the Government of Canada contributes to achieving the NAS). More broadly to support NAS implementation, efforts will also be made to work with provinces and territories to develop bilateral action plans, as well as co-development of the Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda with Indigenous partners;
- Leading and supporting the delivery of whole-of-society exercises for Federal, Provincial/Territorial, Indigenous and industry partners, such as those related to Air Incidents, the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup, and cross-border exercises in collaboration with the United States;
- Integrating open-source intelligence in emergency monitoring and response through GOC;
- Consulting with GOC stakeholders to establish and socialize an Emergency Management National Priority Exercise Framework to advance Canada's emergency preparedness;
- Implementing the lessons learned from the historic 2023 wildfire season by identifying opportunities for improvement, socializing best practices and integrating them into the GOC's training, products, tools and processes in support of improved federal response;
- Developing a formal Operational Planning Process manual in Summer 2024 and updating the Strategic Emergency Management Planning Guide in Winter 2025, with performance indicators to developed in 2025-26 to assess the impact of the initiative on federal emergency management preparedness; and,
- Supporting four (4) non-governmental organizations in building and maintaining a humanitarian workforce that provide surge support in response to large-scale domestic emergencies.
Key risks
Public Safety Canada's mission is to build a safe and resilient Canada. Accordingly, the Department must exercise a high level of awareness, engagement and adaptability to keep Canadians safe, maintain a cohesive and coordinated approach to safety and security, and generate results for Canadians while managing a variety of risks. Currently, the Corporate Risk Profile (CRP) comprises of five risks.
There is a risk that Public Safety Canada may not:
- Be able to keep pace with, and take advantage of, technological advances in areas related to its mandate, particularly in the context of information technology;
- Be able to effectively manage threats and workloads at the pace and magnitude required in an all-hazards threat environment due to departmental capacity;
- Receive partners' full cooperation which could delay policy and program implementation;
- Attract and retain the human resources required to achieve program and organizational objectives; and
- Consistently weight strategic and operational considerations in its collection, storage, sharing and publication of data to deliver on policy and program commitments.
A number of controls will be in place and additional mitigation measures will be implemented to respond to threats to the Department's ability to deliver on its mandate, render timely decisions and achieve intended outcomes. Furthermore, some of the planned initiatives listed in the previous section will help the Department respond to the risks associated with the delivery of Public Safety Canada programs.
Snapshot of planned resources in 2024 to 2025
- Planned spending: $673,516,974
- Planned full-time resources: 330 full-time equivalents
Related government priorities
Gender-based analysis plus
- National Risk Profile (NRP): In 2024 to 2025, the Department will continue to advance knowledge and understanding of disaster risk and impacts for vulnerable populations through its work on the NRP risk and capability assessment sessions. This includes building on current evidence and leveraging diverse national-level expertise as part of additional assessments to identify areas where emergency management capabilities could be improved, notably for vulnerable populations.
- Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI): In partnership with Statistics Canada, the Department is developing a broader SoVI and index components focused on disaster risk reduction. This will be a dataset that is open to all Canadians and available to incorporate into all government program analysis by the end of 2024. Public Safety Canada's in-house SoVI expertise is available to help other programs identify GBA Plus considerations for all projects, through knowledge translation and presentations to OGDs and at conferences and various public engagement opportunities.
- Flood Risk Portal: Along with a property's flood hazard rating, the Portal will communicate a neighbourhood-level community flood risk rating and will include SoVIs and information about infrastructure to ensure that both physical and social impacts of disaster are considered. The Portal will provide a rating for a given community based on its annualized flood risk, social vulnerability, and community resilience; thereby representing the risk specific to a community and its ability to cope with a given level of flooding. The Department is exploring how the Portal can target communities with social vulnerability such as those with a lower socioeconomic status, seniors, newcomers to Canada (less than 10 years), and Indigenous Peoples who are often more disproportionally impacted by flooding. This work will continue throughout the Implementation Phase of the Portal and will be published in 2025 to 2026.
- Canadian Red Cross and the Humanitarian Workforce: Four non-governmental organizations funded under the Humanitarian Workforce program are encouraged to adapt protocols and procedures to meet the needs of specific communities and address barriers to participation.
- Disaster Financial Assistance Agreements (DFAA) Renewal: The DFAA Renewal has been undertaken with a strong GBA Plus lens, as both the terms and conditions and the overall impacts of the program have been reframed to focus on people, rather than simply on the built environment. The program language is being updated and modernized to be more inclusive, people-centric, and cognizant of the diverse realities of different communities in the post-disaster context. The new program will have a strong focus on supporting those most in need (e.g., more eligibility for renters and people with non-traditional living situations, for low-income households, and for expanded services to support people who have limited access to computers or disaster recovery supports in their communities).
- Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries (PTSI): The Department's support to the Canadian Institute of Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT), as the Knowledge Exchange Hub of the National Research Consortium on PTSI, ensures that CIPSRT staff take into account GBA Plus factors when engaging in staffing actions, and developing the Academic, Research and Clinician Network of researchers across the country. CIPSRT is planning to incorporate GBA Plus metrics into the development of the Knowledge Translation Plan to better achieve equity, diversity, and inclusion.
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
More information on Public Safety Canada's contributions to Canada's Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.
Program inventory
Emergency Management is supported by the following programs:
- Emergency Prevention/Mitigation
- Emergency Preparedness
- Emergency Response/Recovery
Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Public Safety Canada's program inventory is available on GC Infobase.
Internal services
In this section
- Description
- Plans to achieve results
- Snapshot of planned resources in 2024 to 2025
- Related government priorities
Description
Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:
- management and oversight services
- communications services
- legal services
- human resources management services
- financial management services
- information management services
- information technology services
- real property management services
- materiel management services
- acquisition management services
Plans to achieve results
In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will focus on the following commitments under its internal services in order to ensure effective delivery of its programs and the ability to meet its corporate obligations:
Diversity and Inclusion
In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will continue to advance its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by implementing the departmental Strategic Framework on Diversity and Inclusion, by:
- Fostering, promoting, and facilitating a culture of inclusion via developmental and continuous learning opportunities, and information-sharing through diversity and inclusion (D&I) networks;
- Developing and implementing the 2024 to 2026 Public Safety Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan, which incorporates the recommendations of the 2023 Employment Systems Review and the 2023 Office of the Auditor General (OAG) report on Inclusion in the Workplace for Racialized Employees;
- Continuing to implement the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion through various initiatives, such as the continued implementation of the Sponsorship + program aimed at sponsoring members of employment equity (EE) groups, including Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees, to prepare them for leadership roles in the Department;
- Continuing to implement the Public Safety Canada Accessibility Plan 2023 to 2026 to remove and prevent barriers faced by persons with disabilities in the workplace and to help foster an inclusive and accessible environment and provide an annual progress update in December 2024, through continued consultations with employees with disabilities via various feedback mechanisms; and,
- Implementing the 2024 to 2027 Public Safety Canada Official Languages (OL) Action Plan aimed at fostering a work environment where both official languages have equal status and strengthening the Department's official languages program, including the continued prioritization of part-time second language training for employees with disabilities, Indigenous employees and employees who are members of a visible minority group.
People Management
Recruitment of new employees, and retention and successful talent management of existing employees is central to maintaining a productive and competitive workplace that can fulfil the department's mandate. In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will continue to build its people management capacity by:
- Continuing to increase the intake of new talent from the student community via targeted university recruitment campaigns, including running three Post-Secondary Co-operative Education and Internship Program recruitment campaigns, aligning with the three educational semesters, and working with the Public Service Commission on a targeted Federal Student Work Experience Program campaign. In addition, the yearly Young Women in Public Safety (YWPS) program will be delivered in July 2024. The 2024 YWPS program, which will be hosted in six locations across Canada, and will provide a five day paid internship opportunity to high school students with an interest in the fields of safety and security;
- Continuing to implement the Human Resources Advisor and Administrative Support development programs by recruiting new external and internal participants and supporting employee development and retention through training, coaching, workshops and meaningful placements; and exploring the creation of a similar program for professionals within the Economic and Social Science Services group; and
- Continuing to improve the employee experience by focusing on existing programs, including the renewal and streamlining of Public Safety Canada's Onboarding and Mentorship Programs, and implementation.
Health and Safety
A key factor of a productive and competitive workplace is the mental health, wellness and safety of its employees. In 2024 to 2025, the Department will advance the following efforts to address employee mental health, wellness and safety:
- Developing a new Public Safety Canada Workplace Wellness and Mental Health Strategy to support employee mental health and address issues identified in the 2022 to 2023 Public Service Employee Survey. In 2024 to 2025, Public Safety Canada will also continue to implement the Mental Health Responders Initiative and continue to promote awareness sessions and share tools and resources in support of employee well-being;
- Implementing the preventative measures identified in the 2023 to 2024 Workplace Risk Assessment in order to eliminate or minimize the risks related to workplace harassment and violence, and conducting internal communication outreach activities to increase awareness of Departmental harassment and violence prevention and resolution resources and provide training and support to managers on the prevention and resolution of workplace harassment and violence; and
- Conducting a review and update of Public Safety Canada's Hazard Prevention Program which will include incorporating the harassment and violence hazards identified through the workplace risk assessment, as well as psychological hazards and other newly identified tele-working hazards to better protect workers' health and safety. In addition, in the Department will offer training and awareness sessions on hazard prevention.
Digital and Data Strategy Implementation
The Government of Canada released the 2023 to 2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service. In addition to setting new priorities and goals, the 2023-2026 Data Strategy outlines expectations for the federal public service to ensure effective governance and use of data across government over the next three years. To implement these new priorities and goals, Public Safety Canada will develop and implement a Public Safety Canada Data Strategy Framework.
Public Safety Canada will launch the Open Data and Information Plan and Process in Spring 2024. The plan will focus on automating the process for submitting and approving the publication of Data and Information on the Open Government portal. The plan will also develop awareness, communication, and training on the role of employees in the management of data. These efforts will facilitate the publication of data and information, thereby improving data transparency and availability for the Canadian public.
Snapshot of planned resources in 2024 to 2025
- Planned spending: $78,199,231
- Planned full-time resources: 535 full-time equivalents
Related government priorities
Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
5% reporting field |
2022 to 2023 actual result |
2023 to 2024 forecasted result |
2024 to 2025 planned result |
---|---|---|---|
Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses |
11.83% |
10% |
10% |
Public Safety Canada plans on contracting with Indigenous businesses in support of achieving the mandatory minimum target of 5% as announced by the federal government. In 2024 to 2025, the Department anticipates that 10% of its contracts will be awarded to Indigenous businesses, and aims to achieve this target through the following activities:
Public Safety Canada has six (6) Standing Offers valued up to $2 million each that were set-aside under the mandatory Set-Aside Program for Indigenous Business for workshop delivery of the Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative. Under these Standing Offers, facilitators deliver strategic planning workshops and provide support to communities in the development of Community Safety Plans, which Indigenous communities use to foster safer communities in a culturally relevant manner. The Department anticipates that additional standing offers will be awarded for regions not covered under the six (6) standing offers noted above, such as Nunavut and regions covered under Canada's Land Claim Agreements.
The Department also has a standing offer for translation that has been set aside according to the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business program which has continuously contributed to the department exceeding the 5% objective.
Additionally, Public Safety Canada promotes Indigenous business by requiring its contracting officers to invite at least one Indigenous business when using Mandatory Supply Arrangements or Standing Offers. This initiative creates more opportunities for Indigenous businesses with an objective of surpassing predicted numbers by enabling more incidental contracts.
To further ensure that Public Safety Canada has the knowledge required in meeting this continued objective, all delegated procurement officers, new and existing, are required to complete the “Indigenous Considerations in Procurement” course and the “Procurement in the Nunavut Settlement Area” course offered by the Canada School of Public Service as part of ongoing development and training.
Planned spending and human resources
This section provides an overview of Public Safety Canada's planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2024 to 2025 with actual spending from previous years.
In this section
Spending
The following chart summarizes Public Safety Canada's planned spending by core responsibility.
The following table shows information on spending for each of Public Safety Canada's core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date.
Core responsibilities and internal services |
2021 to 2022 actual expenditures |
2022 to 2023 actual expenditures |
2023 to 2024 forecast spending |
---|---|---|---|
National Security |
30,906,207 |
30,558,635 |
35,473,137 |
Community Safety |
363,886,409 |
604,938,317 |
1,009,006,845 |
Emergency Management |
606,967,880 |
2,597,607,778 |
1,853,931,740 |
Subtotal |
1,001,760,496 |
3,233,104,730 |
2,898,411,722 |
Internal services |
65,899,315 |
78,468,701 |
86,739,388 |
Total |
1,067,659,811 |
3,311,573,431 |
2,985,151,110 |
The 2023 to 2024 Forecasted Spending is $326 million lower than the 2022 to 2023 Expenditures. This decrease is mainly attributable to a decrease in funding levels for the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) ($698.7 million), which is primarily offset by one year funding to be received in 2023 to 2024 in support of the Newfoundland Adult Corrections Facility Project ($150 million) and increases in funding levels in 2023 to 2024 for the First Nations and Inuit Policing Facilities Program ($47.2 million), the Memorial Grant Program ($35.7 million) and the Building Safer Communities Fund ($26.3 million).
The following table shows information on spending for each of Public Safety Canada's core responsibilities and for its internal services for the upcoming three fiscal years.
Core responsibilities and internal services |
2024 to 2025 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) |
2024 to 2025 planned spending |
2025 to 2026 planned spending |
2026 to 2027 planned spending |
---|---|---|---|---|
National Security |
34,453,992 |
34,453,992 |
32,063,849 |
32,103,492 |
Community Safety |
819,103,631 |
819,103,631 |
674,509,064 |
592,716,618 |
Emergency Management |
673,516,974 |
673,516,974 |
211,966,867 |
158,778,520 |
Subtotal |
1,527,074,597 |
1,527,074,597 |
918,539,780 |
783,598,630 |
Internal services |
78,199,231 |
78,199,231 |
73,896,183 |
69,685,558 |
Total |
1,605,273,828 |
1,605,273,828 |
992,435,963 |
853,284,188 |
The decrease of $752.0 million (47%) in planned spending between 2024 to 2025 and 2026 to 2027 is mainly attributable to a decrease in payments under the Disaster Financial Assistance Agreements (DFAA) program based on forecasts from provinces and territories for disbursements. Public Safety Canada regularly consults with provinces and territories to ensure funding levels meet disbursement requirements under the DFAA legislation, and aligns funding levels accordingly.
In addition to the DFAA decrease, the decrease of $612.8 million (38%) in planned spending between 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 is also attributable to the maturation of the funding requested to eliminate the Memorial Grant Program backlog and accommodate projected near-term growth in program applications ($34.5 million), as well as decreases in funding levels for the Building Safer Communities Fund (BCSF) ($32.5 million), the First Nations and Inuit Policing Facilities Program ($31.3 million) and the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP) ($22.3 million).
The decrease of $139.2 million (14%) in planned spending between 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027 is mainly attributable to the maturation of the funding for the BCSF ($54.4 million), the Humanitarian Workforce Program ($36 million) and the Supporting the Canadian Red Cross's Urgent Relief Efforts Related to COVID-19, Floods and Wildfires program ($10.8 million), as well as a decrease in funding level for the FNIPP ($13.5 million).
Funding
Estimates by vote
Information on Public Safety Canada's organizational appropriations is available in the 2024 to 2025 Main Estimates.
Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of Public Safety Canada's operations between 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025.
The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.
A more detailed future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, are available at Public Safety Canada's website.
Financial information |
2023 to 2024 forecast results |
2024 to 2025 planned results |
Difference (2024 to 2025 planned results minus 2023 to 2024 forecast results) |
---|---|---|---|
Total expenses |
3,559,473,602 |
2,226,979,631 |
(1,332,493,971) |
Total revenues |
(2,700,000) |
(2,700,000) |
0 |
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers |
3,556,773,602 |
2,224,279,631 |
(1,332,493,971) |
The difference of $1.3 billion in the expenses between 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 is mainly attributable to a decrease in payments under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program based on forecasts from provinces and territories for disbursements. Public Safety Canada regularly consults with provinces and territories to ensure funding levels meet disbursement requirements under the DFAA legislation, and aligns funding levels accordingly.
Human resources
The following table shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for Public Safety Canada's core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.
Core responsibilities and internal services |
2021 to 2022 actual full time equivalents |
2022 to 2023 actual full time equivalents |
2023 to 2024 forecast full time equivalents |
---|---|---|---|
National Security |
189 |
187 |
199 |
Community Safety |
353 |
459 |
483 |
Emergency Management |
288 |
325 |
366 |
Subtotal |
830 |
971 |
1,048 |
Internal services |
468 |
534 |
581 |
Total |
1,298 |
1,505 |
1,629 |
Public Safety Canada FTEs increased by 25.5% (331 FTEs) over the last two years, from 1,298 FTEs in 2021 to 2022 to 1,629 FTEs forecasted in 2023 to 2024. This increase is primarily attributable to additional salary funding received for new initiatives, such as for various firearms buyback initiatives, for the improvement to the federal emergency capacity, for enhancing natural disaster resilience, as well as for Indigenous community safety planning and community corrections initiatives.
The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of Public Safety Canada's core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for 2024 to 2025 and future years.
Core responsibilities and internal services |
2024 to 2025 planned full time equivalents |
2025 to 2026 planned full time equivalents |
2026 to 2027 planned full time equivalents |
---|---|---|---|
National Security |
213 |
199 |
199 |
Community Safety |
468 |
380 |
325 |
Emergency Management |
330 |
332 |
313 |
Subtotal |
1,011 |
911 |
837 |
Internal services |
535 |
510 |
492 |
Total |
1,546 |
1,421 |
1,329 |
Overall FTEs in 2024 to 2025 will decrease by 83 FTEs (5.1%) from 1,629 in 2023 to 2024, to 1,546 in 2024 to 2025 primarily as a result of funding maturation for the firearms buyback initiative related to the web portal and case management system, and for anti-money laundering.
FTEs in 2025 to 2026 will decrease by 125 (8.1%) from 1,546 in 2024 to 2025 to 1,421 in 2025 to 2026 primarily as a result of funding maturation of the delivery to businesses phase of the compensation program for prohibited assault-style firearms and of implementation of the Criminal Code Authorization Regime.
FTEs in 2026 to 2027 will decrease by 92 (6.5%) from 1,421 in 2025 to 2026 to 1,329 in 2026 to 2027 primarily as a result of funding maturation for the gun and gang initiative, for the firearms control framework, for the co-development of First Nations policing legislation and engagement to support Indigenous policing, as well as a decrease in funding for enhancing natural disaster resilience.
Corporate information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister[s]:
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., K.C., M.P.
The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, P.C., O.M.M., M.S.M., C.D., M.P.
Institutional head:
Mr. Shawn Tupper
Ministerial portfolio:
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Enabling instrument(s):
Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Act (2005),
Emergency Management Act (2007)
Year of incorporation/commencement:
2003
Organizational contact information
Mailing address: 269 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0P8
Telephone: 613-944-4875 or 1-800-830-3118
TTY: 1-866-865-5667
Fax: 613-954-5186
Email: ps.mediarelations-relationsaveclesmedias.sp@ps-sp.gc.ca
Website(s): https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/index-en.aspx
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on Public Safety Canada's website:
- Details on transfer payment programs
- Gender-based analysis plus
- Horizontal initiatives
- Up-front multi-year funding
Information on Public Safety Canada's departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on Public Safety Canada's website.
Federal tax expenditures
Public Safety Canada's Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.
Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.
This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis plus.
Definitions
- appropriation (crédit)
- Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
- budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
- Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
- core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
- An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
- Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
- A document that sets out a department's priorities, programs, expected results and associated resource requirements, covering a three‑year period beginning with the year indicated in the title of the report. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.
- departmental result (résultat ministériel)
- A change that a department seeks to influence. A departmental result is often outside departments' immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
- departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
- A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.
- departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
- A framework that consists of the department's core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.
- Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
- A report on a department's actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities and expected results set out in its Departmental Plan for that year. Departmental Results Reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.
- full‑time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
- A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person‑year charge against a departmental budget. Full‑time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.
- gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
- An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
- government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
- For the purpose of the 2024–25 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government's agenda in the 2021 Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fighter harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation and fighting for a secure, just, and equitable world.
- horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
- An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
- Indigenous business
- As defined on the Indigenous Services Canada website in accordance with the Government of Canada's commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses annually.
- non‑budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
- Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.
- performance (rendement)
- What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
- plan (plan)
- The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.
- planned spending (dépenses prévues)
- For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates. A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
- program (programme)
- Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within a department and that focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
- program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
- An inventory of a department's programs that describes how resources are organized to carry out the department's core responsibilities and achieve its planned results.
- result (résultat)
- An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead, they are within the area of the organization's influence.
- statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
- Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
- target (cible)
- A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
- voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
- Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.
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