Speaking Notes for The Honourable Bill Blair Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Appearance Before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security
2021-22 Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates “C”
Ottawa, Ontario
March 24, 2021
Mr. Chair, Honourable Committee Members,
Thank you for the invitation to join you today.
I’m pleased to present the 2020-21 Supplementary Estimates “C” and the 2021-22 Main Estimates for the public safety portfolio.
I’m joined today by (TBC):
Rob Stewart, Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada;
Tricia Geddes, Deputy Director, Policy and Strategic Partnerships of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service;
John Ossowski, President of the Canada Border Services Agency;
Anne Kelly, Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada;
Brenda Lucki, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and
Jennifer Oades, Chair of the Parole Board of Canada.
As always, I thank all of my guests today, and want to acknowledge the dedication and professionalism of employees across the public safety portfolio.
They have all stepped up to the plate during an incredibly difficult and challenging time, keeping our borders, communities and correctional institutions safe, and protecting our national security.
And today, these Estimates reflect that work.
I will go through the Supplementary Estimates “C” for 2020-21 first, in order to present these items chronologically.
The approval of those Estimates would result in funding approvals of $11.1 billion for the public safety portfolio.
That represents an increase of 3.3 per cent over total authorities provided to date.
I’ll briefly share some of the highlights here, as they relate to how we manage our critical services during the pandemic.
The first is $135.8 million for the Correctional Service of Canada, for critical operating requirements related to COVID-19.
The second is $35 million for Public Safety Canada, to support the urgent relief efforts of the Canadian Red Cross during the pandemic.
Mr. Chair, as you know, the many volunteers and staff of the Canadian Red Cross have been there to support Canadians from the outset of this pandemic, including at long-term care homes across the country.
I know you’ll join me in thanking them for all they continue to do to provide needed support.
And I’ll note that this funding is in addition to $35 million of Vote 5 funding to Public Safety from Health Canada, to support rapid response capacity testing, to be deployed to fill gaps in surge or targeted activities, including remote and isolated communities.
Included in these Supplementary Estimates is also funding to enhance the Integrity of our Borders and asylum system, while also modernizing the agency’s security screening system.
This funding will ensure that security screening results are made available at the earliest opportunity under a reformed system.
Mr. Chair, I’d like to highlight that CBSA employees have done a remarkable job in keeping our borders safe in response to COVID-19.
That work started over a year ago with the repatriation of Canadians in January 2020, well before a pandemic was declared.
They have adapted quickly to the many border restrictions that this Government has introduced over the past year to curb the spread of COVID-19 and its variants from importation, as well they have continued with their usual facilitation, interdiction, and enforcement role that we can always rely on them for.
I want to take this opportunity to thank them for all they are doing to keep Canadians safe during this difficult time.
We are also working through these Supplementary Estimates to increase funding to end violence against Indigenous women and girls, and to provide essential mental health services.
And for the RCMP, we are investing significant funds through both the Supps and Main Estimates to support improvements to federal policing investigative capacity by bolstering its capability with additional policing professionals, investigators and scientists.
This will be used to deal with federal policing initiatives, which include responding to money laundering, cybercrime such as child sexual exploitation, and national security such as responding to terrorism and foreign-influenced activities.
Mr. Chair, I’ll turn now to the 2021-22 Main Estimates.
The Public Safety portfolio, as a whole, is requesting a total of $10 billion for this fiscal year.
As I’ve previously noted, the portfolio funding has remained stable over the last few years.
I’ll break the numbers down by organization.
Public Safety Canada is seeking a total of $1.1 billion in the Main Estimates.
This represents a net increase of $329.9 million, or 45.5 per cent, over the previous year.
The bulk of that increase is due to Grants and Contributions regarding the Disaster Financial Assistance Agreements program, or DFAA.
It’s an increase in funding based on forecasts from provinces and territories for expected disbursements under the DFAA for this fiscal year.
Mr. Chair, this represents a critical part of my mandate as Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
Climate-related disasters, like floods and wildfires, have increased over the years, due in no small part to a changing climate.
That funding helps provinces and territories with the costs of response, and of returning infrastructure and personal property to pre-disaster condition.
With flood season approaching, I know that this is top of mind for many communities as it is for me.
Mr. Chair, in these Main Estimates, increases also include $15 million in incrementing funding to take action against gun and gang violence.
As Committee members know, I introduced Bill C-21 in the House not long ago – a Bill designed to protect Canadians from firearms-related violence.
It represents the most significant changes to Canada’s firearm laws in our country’s history.
It will complete the prohibition on the assault-style firearms we announced last year.
It will help protect Canadians from dangerous situations involving firearms.
It will support municipalities in their efforts to restrict handguns.
And it will strengthen our laws to keep firearms out of the wrong hands and keep our communities safe.
I know this Committee will have the chance to review that legislation soon, and I look forward to discussing it with you further.
I want to focus on a number of ongoing issues and our responses to them.
Starting with Correctional Service of Canada, which is seeking $2.8 billion this fiscal year, an increase of $239.8 million or 9.4 per cent over the previous year.
The net increase is mostly due to a net increase in operating funding, which includes an increase for transforming federal corrections as a result of the passage of the former Bill C-83.
Mr. Chair, that Bill introduced the new Structured Intervention Unit model.
While that Bill represents a major change to the way our Correctional institutions operate, recent reports have made clear that more must be done.
Funding is just one part of the solution.
With the creation of data teams, efforts to replicate best practises nationally and enhanced support for Independent External Decision Makers, I am confident that we will deliver on our transformational promise in full.
I also want to again acknowledge the troubling findings of the Bastarache report, which I know this committee has examined.
We are seeking funds to establish the Independent Centre for Harassment Resolution. This will be responsible for implementing the full resolution process, including conflict management, investigations and decision-making.
There remains much work to do, but this is part of our efforts to respond to that report.
I want to conclude by once again noting the importance of oversight in our agencies which carry tremendous responsibilities.
You will see in the Mains that we are seeking funding to increase funding for the Correctional Investigator’s office, the CRCC and the ERC, the latter by 100%.
With that, I thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the Committee for your time today.
We are now happy to answer your questions about these estimates, and the collective work of the portfolio.
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