Crime Prevention Branch Overview
Branch Overview
The Crime Prevention Branch (CPB) supports the Minister of Public Safety in order to provide national leadership on policy issues related to policing and firearms, corrections and criminal justice, serious and organized crime, and drugs. CPB works closely with Portfolio departments/agencies, federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) partners and other stakeholders to provide strategic advice and support evidence-based policy development in these areas. The Branch also develops and administers various programs that support specific objectives through grants and contributions, targeted partnerships, and collaboration with provincial, territorial, and municipal stakeholders.
CPB recently underwent a structural re-organization. It is currently comprised of five Directorates: Policing Policy; Law Enforcement Policy; Community Safety, Corrections and Criminal Justice Policy; Firearms Policy; and Program Development & Intergovernmental Affairs. The Buyback program will be housed under the new ADM for Firearms, and maintain a policy function under CPB. Currently, the Branch employs 173 full-time employees with an operating budget of approximately $29 million and a Grants and Contributions budget of approximately $37 million.
Key Files and Responsibilities
Policing Policy Directorate (PPD)
Moderate Livelihood: In Spring 2021, during the Moderate Livelihood protests surrounding Indigenous fishing rights in Nova Scotia, the province asked the Federal government to invoke Article 9 of the Police Services Agreement (PSA) to respond effectively to the protest and to maintain regular policing service delivery. There is currently a dispute over cost between the Federal Government and the Government of Nova Scotia as to which subsection of Article 9 was invoked – if it was Article 9.4, it would be classified as a Federal Emergency, and thus the Government of Canada would incur costs associated. If it was Article 9.2, it would be treated as a Provincial Emergency, and the province would assume those costs. Discussions are currently ongoing as to who will pay for the associated costs.
RCMP Governance and Modernization: Provides support to the overall implementation of the RCMP transformation and oversight agenda (e.g., ongoing harassment resolution process, support to the Management Advisory Board and Civilian Review and Complaints Commission).
Emergencies Act: Following the invocation of the Emergencies Act to respond to protests in Ottawa and across the country in February 2022, both a Parliamentary Review Committee (the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency (DEDC)) and an independent public inquiry have been established under the Public Order Emergency Commission. CPB is supporting both bodies in this process through document production and review. Senior public officials have been, and may again be, called to appear as witnesses before the Parliamentary Review Committee. The previous Deputy, Rob Stewart, and Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of NCSB, Dominic Rochon, have been called to appear as departmental witnesses before POEC between the dates of October 13 and November 23.
Contract Policing Program/Police Services Agreements: Provides leadership in managing the Contract Policing program; negotiations, interpretation and day-to-day administration of the 2012 Police Service Agreements that underpin the program and enable the RCMP to deliver front-line policing services to all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec, as well as some 150 municipalities; and leadership on program sustainability, policing transitions and assessments, and strategies to resolve ongoing disputes with certain jurisdictions.
Parliamentarian Security (PARLSEC): Due to evolving security threats, both in Canada and abroad, CPB, in collaboration with the RCMP, the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre, and PCO, is working on various measures that will seek to provide levels of protection to individuals, including Ministers, Members of Parliament, Senators, and senior public officials. Work is currently underway to pave a pathway forward on this.
Law Enforcement Policy Directorate (LED)
Drug Policy: Provides national leadership, in cooperation with provinces, territories, and law enforcement agencies, to develop and advance measures to disrupt illegal drug markets and help protect Canadians from the harms associated with illegal substances. This includes developing measures to support law enforcement readiness and capacity to address the increasingly toxic supply of illegal substances, reduce organized crime involvement in the illegal drug trade, and help divert people who use substances to a safer supply and to treatment and recovery services. It also includes collaborating with international partners, particularly the U.S. and Mexico, on actions to address the smuggling of synthetic opioids and precursor chemicals coming into North America; developing and implementing strategies to disrupt illegal cannabis markets; supporting policy development, research and public awareness of the dangers of drug-impaired driving and coordinating national drug-impaired data collection and reporting.
Serious and Organized Crime: Leads initiatives and policy work focused on countering organized crime, including the implementation of Canada's National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (2019-2024) the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet (2004). This work includes supporting research and increased awareness, engagement and partnerships with key stakeholders including law enforcement, and designing policy to support victims and survivors of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. The division also implements two contribution agreements, one supporting forensic DNA analyses for criminal investigations and another countering the illicit tobacco trade in Akwesasne and Kahnawake First Nations communities. The division also contributes to advancing engagement between law enforcement agencies and public policy makers on pressing organized crime issues through its secretariat role for national committees like the National Coordinating Committee on Organized Crime.
Financial Crime Coordination Centre (FC3): An integrated unit of experts across intelligence and law enforcement agencies that aims to coordinate support to anti-money laundering and financial crime operational partners through: the development of policy and legislative initiatives; operational tools, guidance, and coordination support; and promotion of training and expertise development in the financial crime space. FC3 leads the department's engagement with the federal Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing (AML/ATF) Regime, and the development of a proposal for the establishment of a Canada Financial Crimes Agency. FC3 hosts an online access-restricted Portal that serves professionals at all levels of government connecting members to key resources and subject matter experts. FC3 also organizes an annual AML conference which represents Canada's largest gathering of public sector professionals to discuss enforcement efforts and share best practices.
Community Safety, Corrections and Criminal Justice Directorate (CSCCJD)
Community Corrections Policy: Provides policy direction under the Federal Framework to Reduce Recidivism; supports items related to restorative justice; and engages with the Department of Justice on the development of Canada's Black Justice Strategy.
The National Office for Victims (NOV): A central resource working to improve victims of crime's experience with the federal corrections and conditional release system (i.e. where the offender that harmed them was convicted and received a federal sentence of two years or more). NOV supports correctional policy development to ensure victims' rights under the Canadian Victims' Bill of Rights are upheld; develops information products for dissemination to victims and the general public; and provides a coordination role to Public Safety Victim Portfolio Partners.
Corrections and Criminal Justice: Provides policy advice and support on corrections and criminal justice policy issues (including pardons) related to key legislation (i.e., Corrections and Conditional Release Act, Criminal Records Act, Expungement of Historically Unjust Convictions Act, International Transfer of Offenders Act, Sex Offender Information Registration Act and the Victims Bill of Rights Act); and supports the external oversight of Structured Intervention Units.
Crime Prevention Policy: Provides policy direction on evidence-based crime prevention priorities/initiatives and the implementation of the National Crime Prevention Strategy targeting at-risk youth (e.g., youth gangs, Black, Indigenous, LGTBQ2+ and other vulnerable populations); and supports policy engagement with the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention.
Research: Provides evidence-based research, at the request of policy areas, to support policy development in the priority areas of crime prevention, corrections, criminal justice and law enforcement, including on issues related to cyberbullying, human trafficking, firearms and gangs.
Firearms Policy Directorate (FPD)
Firearms Policy: Provides policy direction and coordination with portfolio partners on firearms-related issues; develops legislative and regulatory changes to ensure the safe and legal use of firearms, prevent illegal and prohibited activities, as well as promote harm reduction and awareness of firearms-related issues; and is the policy lead for the Firearms Act. The team developed and is supporting Bill C-21 passage through Parliament. It includes firearms control measures, such as the national handgun freeze, stronger protections for those at risk of firearm-related violence (e.g. new red and yellow flag laws), increasing maximum penalties for weapons smuggling/trafficking, among others. There are many regulatory initiatives underway that address large capacity magazines, secure storage, markings and others needed to bring Bill C-21 measures into force and support other government mandate commitments. FPD also provides oversight to the Horizontal Initiative “Enhancing Canada's Firearms Control Framework” funding of $208M over five years starting in 2021-22 and $28.8M ongoing with the RCMP and CBSA.
Program Development & Intergovernmental Affairs (PDIAD)
Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (ITAAGGV): A five-year (2018–19 to 2022—23), $358.8M initiative, led by PS in collaboration with CBSA and RCMP, that invests in communities, and enhances law enforcement capacity and federal leadership. Most funds ($215M) flow to PTs through the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund (GGVAF) and support gun and gang violence enforcement and prevention-related projects identified by the PTs. PS and RCMP are developing a proposal to renew and expand the program in 2023–24 and ongoing.
The Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF): Launched in March 2022, this $250M initiative seeks to counter social conditions that may lead to criminality by bolstering gang prevention programming through direct funding to municipalities and Indigenous communities. EMPB is leading program implementation, which is progressing well across Canada.
Security Cost Framework: Administers the Major International Event Security Cost Framework to facilitate cooperation with partner jurisdictions by reimbursing, through contribution agreements, the incremental, extraordinary, justifiable and reasonable policing and security related costs incurred in support of RCMP-led security operations for Prime Minister-led events (e.g., COP 15, Papal Visit, G7/G20 and other leaders' summits, Royal visits).
Nation's Capital Extraordinary Policing Costs Program (NCEPCP): Established in 2015, and expanded in 2020 for a five-year term, the NCEPC provides a contribution of up to $3M annually to reimburse the City of Ottawa for certain costs in recognition of the unique policing environment created by the presence of federal landmarks, institutions and events of national significance in Ottawa. Ottawa has asked that the Government consider expanding the program to cover costs it incurred responding to the 2022 Convoy and other protests, which exceed the NCEPC budget.
Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative: Provides policy direction underpinned by programming to Indigenous communities to develop Indigenous-led Community Safety Plans as part of the Government's response to the MMIWG National Inquiry's Final Report; engages with key partners to advance Indigenous community safety; and collaborates to support Indigenous funding recipients across programs that address Indigenous community safety.
Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative (ICCI): The ICCI takes a holistic and healing approach to community wellness by supporting alternatives to incarceration and efforts to reintegrate Indigenous offenders into communities.
FPT Justice and Public Safety: With the Department of Justice and provinces and territories, supports meetings of FPT Ministers and DMs Responsible for Justice and Public Safety, and the FPT ADM-level Crime Prevention and Policing Committee (CPPC).
Rural Crime: Supports the Associate Deputy Minister as co-chair of the FPT DM Rural Crime Committee. At their October 2022 meeting, ministers will consider a proposed Pan-Canadian Strategic Framework on Rural Crime that identifies initiatives relating to, for example, criminal law reform, drug interdiction, prevention and enforcement.
Public Inquiry into the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty: With the Department of Justice and PS Legal Counsel, supports an ADM-level Steering Committee and manages departmental efforts to support the independent Public Inquiry into the April 2020 mass casualty incident in Nova Scotia, (i.e., the Mass Casualties Commission or MCC: Honourable J. Michael MacDonald (former Chief Justice of Nova Scotia), Leanne J. Fitch (Ret. Fredericton Police Chief) and Dr. Kim Stanton (Lawyer)). The MCC is mandated to report its findings, lessons learned and recommendations by March 2023.
Key Partners
CPB works with a variety of partners, including Portfolio organizations and other federal government departments and agencies with community safety, corrections and security-related responsibilities. The Branch also works with non-governmental organizations, provinces and territories, policing and first responder organizations, the Five Eyes (Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States), and other international partners and Indigenous organizations and communities.
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