Portfolio Affairs and Communications Branch Overview
Branch Background
The Portfolio Affairs and Communications Branch (PACB) coordinates the Department's international engagement; provides policy advice to advance border-related matters; provides strategic communications advice and services; is responsible for departmental efforts related to consultation, stakeholder relations, and citizen engagement; leads strategic policy and planning integration within the Department and across the Portfolio; coordinates Portfolio, Cabinet and Parliamentary business; and provides leadership on diversity and inclusion and the Government of Canada's response to radicalization to violence.
PACB is composed of four Directorates: International and Border Policy; Communications; Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs and Executive Services; and Policy, Planning and Priorities. The Branch also houses the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence (Canada Centre) and the Diversity and Inclusion Secretariat.
As of September 9, 2021, the Branch had 197 full-time equivalents. The Branch had an operating budget of $26.8M in 2021-22.
Key Files and Responsibilities
International Affairs and Border Policy Directorate (IBPD)
IBPD was established in 2021 incorporating PACB's international functions with the border policy unit transferred from Crime Prevention Branch. The Directorate is leading on the support for Bill C-20, the establishment of the Public Complaints and Review Commission (PCRC), which would serve as an external review body for both the RCMP and the CBSA and is currently in front of Parliament.
The International Affairs Division (IAD) is responsible for coordinating Public Safety's engagement with global partners.
IAD supports the Minister's relationships with U.S. counterparts, principally with the Secretary of Homeland Security and with the U.S. Attorney General. This leads to a number of high-level bilateral engagements at all levels, that help strengthen Canada-U.S. cooperation on law enforcement and security issues. With Mexico, PACB is leading on the potential for a renewed Security Dialogue to address issues such as transnational organized crime.
The Division also leads on advancing Canada's security interests in the wider world through bilateral relations with our allies such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and through the Canada-Israel Declaration of Intent and is the primary interlocutor for Public Safety in multilateral meetings such as the G7 Interior Ministers' Meeting, the North American Leaders' Summit, and the UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
PACB also supports the participation of the Minister and senior officials in high-level governance committees, including meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Canada and the World, the Cabinet-level Incident Response Group Committee meetings on Ukraine, and the DM and ADM-level Committees on China. The Division frequently engages with embassies and other key government departments (e.g., PRO and GAC) on files such as Ukraine, Haiti, Canada's forthcoming Indo-Pacific and China Strategies, the Canada-U.S. Arctic Dialogue, and renewal of the UN Strategic Plan.
In cooperation with the RCMP and GAC, IAD manages the International Police Peacekeeping Program and the Canadian Police Arrangement which support Canada's commitment to international security through police participation in international peace support and stabilization missions.
The Public Safety Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy in Washington supports the full range of PS policy and program engagements with the US, plans and hosts Ministerial/senior officials visits and events in US; and liaises and builds relations with US representatives on behalf of the Department.
The Border Policy Division (BPD) is the Department's lead on immigration and border issues, including managing the relationship with the CBSA. The Division provides coordinated and integrated policy advice to advance border-related matters. This function involves monitoring, analyzing, and providing an overarching public safety lens on various border-related files, such as: Preclearance, NEXUS, COVID-19 Border Measures, Irregular Migration, the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), the Annual Immigration Levels Plan, and the Canada-U.S. Cross Border Crime Forum (CBCF).
BPD also administers the Canada-U.S. preclearance treaty and the Preclearance Act, 2016, coordinating Government of Canada partners, legislative development, engaging with stakeholders (e.g., airport operators), and supporting preclearance expansion in Canada. IBPD leads the pre-clearance portion of the Government's legislation (Bill S-7) on searches of digital devices at the border also currently in front of Parliament.
Communications Directorate
The Communications Directorate is responsible for strategic and operational communications services to the Minister, Deputy Minister and all Branches of the Department. With support from 3 Divisions – Corporate Communications and Marketing, Strategic Communications, and Public Affairs – it coordinates the Government of Canada's communication response for broad public safety and security issues ranging from major events to natural disasters (e.g., drug-impaired driving campaign, cyber safe tips, and the emergency management “Get Prepared” campaign). As part of this function, it provides support to the Government Operations Centre and develops and strengthens communications networks with provincial/territorial and international partners. Communications also works closely with key private sector partners to advance awareness of key messages in support of safety and security. It also manages the Department's web sites, implementing government wide web strategy and overseeing print and web publishing. It leads internal communications and employee engagement (InfoBulletin and InfoCentral) for the Department and also manages PS social media accounts, media requests and public inquiries, and provides logistical planning for ministerial events.
The Citizen Engagement and Stakeholder Relations group within the Communications Directorate is responsible for the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security, a forum for consultation with representatives of diverse ethno-cultural communities on national security issues. Together with the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Public Safety appoints Roundtable members, and has an opportunity to engage directly with them when they meet, typically three times annually. Additionally, they support outreach events with Canadians, which provide an opportunity to highlight the importance of working with communities and to learn about their concerns.
Policy, Priorities and Planning Directorate (PPPD)
PPPD provides strategic policy and leadership for the Department and Portfolio, leading the strategic policy and planning integration and equity, diversity and inclusion functions.
The Strategic Policy and Priorities Division (SPPD) tracks and reports on Portfolio-wide mandate priorities and commitments. It coordinates the Portfolio's Federal Budget process and off-cycle requests, leads on the development of ADM, DM and Ministerial transition materials, and provides strategic input on horizontal policy issues. It also leads on the Arctic file, coordinating with departmental, Portfolio and OGD partners to support DM and ADM Arctic Committee meetings and develop horizontal initiatives such as the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework. It is responsible for the development and implementation of the Public Safety Data Strategy, enhances research and data capacity across the Portfolio and leads collaborative efforts between the Portfolio and the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics (Statistics Canada) as Portfolio lead for the National Justice Statistics Initiative. The Division is the primary focal point for GBA Plus, and manages the GBA Plus Advisors Network; coordinating and implementing GBA Plus strategic framework; developing GBA Plus templates and guides; and building GBA Plus departmental capacity to ensure gender and diversity lens are considered throughout decision-making.
The Strategic Planning Division (SPD) supports the Department by setting its strategic objectives and adhering to the TBS Policy on Results, primarily by developing and maintaining foundational corporate planning tools, such as Departmental Priorities, Departmental Results Framework, Corporate Risk Framework, Environmental Scan and Program Information Profiles. It also oversees and coordinates the annual departmental reporting, such as the annual Departmental Plan, Departmental Results Report, Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, and the Management Accountability Framework assessment; and, is responsible for leading implementation of the TBS Experimentation Directive.
The Diversity and Inclusion Secretariat is a new entity created in 2022 to work closely with the Corporate Management Branch (CMB), departmental champions, committees and employee networks to coordinate and leverage new and existing efforts to lead Public Safety's diversity and inclusion work that supports the Department's Strategic Framework on Diversity and Inclusion as well as the Clerk's Calls to Action. The Secretariat plays a lead role in working with the portfolio agencies and other government departments in the coordination and sharing of information and best practices on related initiatives to advance Public Safety's Framework. It works to foster a culture of inclusion and enhance the capacity and governance of diversity and inclusion initiatives to help ensure sustained action in addressing systemic barriers, racism, and unconscious bias within the workplace, and facilitate the reporting of results.
Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs and Executive Services (CPES)
CPES manages the Portfolio's Cabinet, Parliamentary, and Regulatory agendas, including Governor in Council and Ministerial Appointments. The Cabinet, Parliamentary and Regulatory Affairs Division (CPRA) manages Public Safety Portfolio Cabinet and Parliamentary business as one of the largest across the federal government. This work supports the development and advancement of new policies and initiatives across the Portfolio.
With the leadership of Access to Information and Privacy and Executive Services, it also leads and delivers Access to Information and Privacy programs for the Department and Ministerial Correspondence and Secretariat Services for the Public Safety Portfolio.
The Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence (“Canada Centre”)
The Canada Centre leads Canada's National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence (CRV). As a Centre of Excellence, the Canada Centre continues to build capacity the field of prevention of violent extremism.
The Canada Centre's in-house experts are central to its capacity-building role across the country in the still-nascent field of CRV, and providing science-based advice to federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments, as well as non-governmental organizations. The Canada Centre chairs an FPT working group and actively contributes to federal government initiatives, including the Public Safety and Portfolio related aspects of the Heritage Canada-led Online Safety Bill [Redacted]. Along with the Emergency Management and Programs Branch, the Canada Centre co-manages the Community Resilience Fund (CRF) at $7 million/year with an additional $3.5 million this year and next year, which supports research and frontline CRV projects with academics, civil society, law enforcement, and other levels of governments. In October 2022, 27 new CRF projects were announced.
In response to the recent Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security's Report on the Rise of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism (IMVE), the Canada Centre is looking to Budget 2023 to increase its funding and support of the National and Cyber Security Branch's development of a new strategy to combat IMVE. The Canada Centre is also working with the Minister's office to renew the National Experts Committee on CRV.
The Canada Centre is also a Centre of Excellence internationally. This includes leading Canada's engagement on prevention of violent extremism within the Five Eyes and the G7; coordinating the Prime Minister's participation in the annual Christchurch Call summit (last held in September 2022); and via, the Senior Director, representing Canada as one of seven governments on the Independent Advisory Committee to the industry-led Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism.
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