Public Safety Canada's 2023 to 2024 Departmental Results Report

Core responsibility 1: National Security

In this section

• Description
• Progress on results
• Key risks
• Resources required to achieve results
• Related government-wide 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.

Progress on results

This section presents details on how the Department performed to achieve results and meet targets for National Security. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 1 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under National Security.

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Public Safety Canada's Program Inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Details on results

The following section describes the results for National Security in 2023 to 2024 compared with the planned results set out in Public Safety Canada's Departmental Plan for the year.

Departmental Result: National security threats are understood and reduced while maintaining public trust

Results achieved

Public Safety Canada advanced the following initiatives in support of its National Security Departmental Result:

Countering economic-based threats to national security

• Supported the passage through Parliament of Bill C-34, An Act to amend the Investment Canada Act, which received Royal Assent on March 22, 2024. These amendments, once fully implemented, will modernize Canada's foreign investment regime and ensure that Canada can continue to address changing foreign interference and criminal threats that can arise from attempts at investments from foreign investors. For example, the amendments include a provision to create a requirement that would allow the government to review a proposed transaction in sensitive sectors prior to completion of the transaction, preventing possible leakage of sensitive technologies. The provisions within Bill C-34 will also help increase public trust in Canada's foreign investment review process by broadening annual ministerial reporting requirements, providing clear public guidance, and allowing judges to view classified evidence in the event of a legal dispute through closed material proceedings.
• Led and coordinated the release of funds frozen from Budget 2019 ($9.1 million for 2023 to 2024 and $11.1 million ongoing) to increase capacity to undertake national security reviews under the Investment Canada Act and Export and Import Permits Act. These funds are split between seven departments and agencies. In parallel, the Department continued to lead the coordination of national security reviews under the Investment Canada Act in support of Innovation, Science and Economic Development's mandate. These reviews ensure that foreign investments are not compromising the Canadian economy and help to reduce national security threats to Canada's economy.

Strengthening cyber security and critical infrastructure resilience: National Cyber Security Strategy Renewal

• Continued to lead the cyber security community in the development of the National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS). In addition to multiple engagements with all-of-society stakeholders, in July 2023, the Department chaired a round-table with industry partners to inform the development of the new NCSS. The Department also led the coordination with other government departments and agencies that were implicated in the development of the NCSS, ensuring that the strategy reflected all viewpoints.
• Continued to implement the National Cyber Security Action Plan (2019-2024), by providing funding to 12 projects under the Cyber Security Cooperation Program (CSCP). Funded projects addressed a number of cyber security priorities, including projects related to blockchain, quantum computing, coding, and cyber resiliency. For example, the Community Safety Knowledge Alliance completed a study, partially funded by CSCP, aiming to strengthen cyber security across Canada's agricultural ecosystem. The findings of this project were presented at an interdepartmental meeting of senior leadership in May 2023. This work aligns with the objectives that understanding of cyber vulnerabilities and threats is enhanced among stakeholders, and research funded through the CSCP helps to ensure that the Department's decision-making is evidence-based, improves the collective understanding of the cyber landscape, and advances Canada's economic position.

Strengthening cyber security and critical infrastructure resilience: Cyber Incident Response

• Finalized in collaboration with government partners, the Federal Cyber Incident Response Plan (FCIRP), which was published on the Public Safety Canada website in early 2024 to 2025, and continued to co-Chair, as the cyber policy lead for the Government of Canada, alongside the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre). Across numerous cyber incidents, the FCIRP helped maintain situational awareness, facilitated informed decision-making regarding the coordination of assistance and support, and ensured accurate, clear and consistent communication between the Government of Canada, Canadians, and effected entities (e.g., provincial and territorial governments, regional authorities, and private sector entities). The FCIRP has enabled the Government of Canada to take timely, informed, and coordinated actions in response to cyber incidents in a way it was not previously able to do for incidents affecting non-Government of Canada cyber systems. This coordination helped guide Departmental outreach to affected entities on the policy front, which complemented the technical outreach done by the Cyber Centre.

Strengthening cyber security and critical infrastructure resilience: Advancing Cyber Security Legislation

• Continued to support the passage through Parliament of Bill C-26, An Act Respecting Cyber Security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts. The Bill was under consideration at Committee in the House of Commons as of March 2024 (consideration was completed and a report was presented with amendments at the beginning of 2024 to 2025). Once in force, this proposed legislation is envisioned to protect Canadians, bolster cyber security measures, and mitigate cyber threats across the federally regulated financial, telecommunications, energy, and transportation sectors.

Strengthening cyber security and critical infrastructure resilience: Cyber Security Data Strategy

• Progress against this commitment was paused and resources were reallocated to other key priorities due to resource constraints. However, the Department has continued to work with Statistics Canada to ensure that survey results of the Canadian Survey of Cyber Security and Cybercrime were made available to the cyber security community, including in 2023 to 2024. Stakeholders use the information from this survey to inform decision-making related to capacity and readiness to understand and address cyber threats.

Modernizing Canada's Critical Infrastructure (CI) Policy Framework

• Continued efforts to modernize Canada's approach to CI security and resilience by developing proposals that would complement and build on existing related areas of work, in a national, economic and cyber security context. In 2023, Public Safety Canada held the chair of the Five Eyes policy forum on critical infrastructure, the 'Critical 5,' in which best practices and threat assessments were evaluated and shared among Canada's closest allies. This work culminated in the Spring 2024 publication of the updated Critical 5 shared narrative, "Adapting to Evolving Threats: A Summary of Critical 5 Approaches to Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience,” which continues to inform the Department's policy research and analysis to renew the National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure.
• Leveraged existing governance and outreach mechanisms to engage provincial, territorial and private sector stakeholders to validate the vision for Canada's modernized approach to CI security and resilience, while also raising awareness and understanding of national security threats within public and private sectors.

Modernizing Canada's Critical Infrastructure Policy Framework: National cyber-physical exercise and other tools

• Conducted a series of exercises, guided discussions, awareness sessions and technical workshops which culminated in a national multi-sector exercise (Exercise Cy-Phy), which was delivered virtually in October 2023. Approximately 150 organizations from across Canada participated, including private industry, federal departments, and provincial, territorial and municipal governments. Exercise Cy-Phy was conceived to help fill a gap in exercises, with the objective of increasing Canada's CI resiliency to cyber incidents with physical consequences, and to strengthen collaboration between CI sectors and organizations navigating in both the cyber and physical domains.
• Continued working on the development of an exercise toolkit application which, once deployed, will help Canadian critical infrastructure organizations in the design, delivery, and evaluation of tailored self-facilitated table top exercises to test their policies and procedures when responding to incidents including insider risk, cyber-incidents, or catastrophic events.

Ransomware

• Played a leading role in the Ransomware Working Group and Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) to advance shared priorities and share information and best practices on addressing this threat domestically and globally. Two significant achievements from these collaborations include: the development of the first-ever joint policy statement urging member governments to reject ransom payments; and the Department assuming the role of the chair of the CRI Task Force's Private Sector Engagement Working Group, allowing Canada to spearhead the creation of the CRI Private-Public Partnership Advisory Panel (ongoing).
• Brought together government departments, agencies, and private sector partners, facilitated through groups like the domestic Ransomware Working Group, to foster information sharing and strengthen national resilience. By raising awareness and promoting best practices, these groups empower Canadians and Canadian businesses to better defend themselves against ransomware attacks.
• Participated in other international forums, such as Cyber UK. By participating in these forums, Public Safety Canada stays informed about the latest cyber threats and trends. The knowledge gleaned from these forums helps the Department refine its strategies and strengthen Canada's overall cyber resilience.

Combatting terrorism and ideologically motivated violent extremism

• Supported the progression through Parliament of Bill C-41, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, which received Royal Assent on June 20, 2023. Bill C-41 amended the terrorist financing provisions of the Criminal Code to include:
  • An exception for urgent, life-saving humanitarian assistance activities to be delivered despite the possible benefit of a terrorist group (in force since Royal Assent);
  • an Authorization Regime, wherein the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs may authorize an eligible person to carry out a specified activity in a specified geographical area that would otherwise be prohibited under the Criminal Code due to possible unintended benefit to a terrorist group (officially launched in early 2024 to 2025). The Department, in close coordination with partnering departments and agencies, has worked to balance the public interest in the Authorization Regime and the imperative to launch this initiative, with the importance of ensuring that the necessary tools and policies, such as internal governance and public facing policy guidance, are in place to support its effective launch and administration.
• Engaged in several bilateral meetings with the United States to address violent extremism through the joint Public Safety-Department of Homeland Security Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism/Domestic Violent Extremism Working Group. These meetings, as well as domestic National Security Council meetings, helped to inform the development of options to update Canada's Counter-Terrorism Strategy, to align with the shift in the threat landscape by focusing on violent extremism more broadly. This work, and related engagements, are ongoing.

Combatting terrorism and ideologically motivated violent extremism: Terrorist Listings

• To ensure the list of terrorist entities remains up to date (e.g., to delist or renew existing listed entities), a comprehensive review of each listed entity occurs within five years from June 21, 2019 for earlier listings, or within five years of the recommendation date of each listed entity. In 2023 to 2024, the Government assessed 47 listed entities, and concluded that one (the Groupe islamique armé) should be delisted as it no longer existed, and the other 46 entities warrant continued listing. This safeguard is essential to ensure Canada remains responsive to the evolving terrorism threat environment.
• The Criminal Code terrorist listing regime is an important tool for countering terrorism in Canada and globally, and as such, the addition to the listing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reflects the government's commitment to keep people in Canada safe. A listing assists Canadian security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies by helping to facilitate the laying of terrorism-related charges against perpetrators and supporters of terrorism, and by playing a key role in countering terrorist financing. Listings also help obstruct assistance from sympathizers in Canada by criminalizing certain support activities including those related to terrorist travel, financing and recruitment.

Combatting terrorism and ideologically motivated violent extremism: Combatting hostile activities by state actors (HASA; e.g., foreign interference, formerly counter-HASA)

• Led public and stakeholder consultations to bolster Canada's counter-foreign interference toolkit through amendments to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, the Security of Information Act, the Criminal Code of Canada, and the Canada Evidence Act. The Department engaged with over 80 national security stakeholders, including National Indigenous Organizations, Provinces and Territories, international partners and 13 federal departments, culminating in the introduction of Bill C-70, An Act respecting countering foreign interference.
• Advanced the design of the Office of the National Counter-Foreign Interference Coordinator.
• Led the development of policy products in response to Motion M-112 (Political Interference, Violence, and Intimidation on Canadian Soil), which was adopted unanimously by the House of Commons in early 2024 to 2025. The motion supports policy actions to protect diaspora communities against interference, enhance security/integrity at the border, protect international human rights, and uphold Canada's global security commitments. By raising awareness about the significant implications that foreign interference has on Canada's national security, the motion supports the allocation of resources to key areas in order to ensure that Canada is prepared to combat this growing threat alongside global partners.

Enhancing transparency: National Security Transparency Commitment

• Continued its role in coordinating the work of the National Security Transparency Advisory Group (NS-TAG) as well as advancing the implementation of the National Security Transparency Commitment (NSTC) to enhance transparency and trust with Canadians on national security issues, by:
  • Completing the NS-TAG's fourth report, titled The Digitization of National Security: Technology, Transparency and Trust, in Spring 2023 (published in early 2024 to 2025).
  • Dedicating NS-TAG efforts to preparing a stocktaking exercise in early 2024 (ongoing), which will help assess the extent to which national security departments and agencies are implementing its recommendations and furthering the work of the NSTC. The Department will support this endeavour by disseminating the stocktaking exercise throughout the national security and intelligence community.

Enhancing transparency: Research Security Centre

• Established and fully operationalized the Research Security Centre (RSC) in June 2023 to serve as the Government of Canada's main point of contact for external stakeholders on all matters relating to research security. This included engaging closely with Canadian post-secondary institutions to support innovative ecosystems across the country and safeguard Canada's world-leading research and intellectual property, as well as building a strong research security culture through a network of regional advisors located across the country. Continued collaboration, engagement, and transparency with stakeholders ensures maintenance of public trust and a deeper understanding of national security threats.
• Developed, in collaboration with partners, the Named Research Organizations and the Sensitive Technology Research Areas lists, the two key tools needed to operationalize and implement the new Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern. The implementation framework of the policy was announced by the Ministers of Innovation, Science and Industry; Health; and Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs on January 16, 2024, and will begin implementation in 2024 to 2025.
• Engaged with national and international stakeholders from the research community in an effort to strengthen Canada's security posture. Research security policies and guidelines were developed in close consultation with stakeholders from Canada's research security community, implicated federal departments and agencies – including Canada's federal granting councils. Delivered a series of webinars and in-person presentations under the Safeguarding Science Initiative to engage frontline researchers and university administrators to ensure security threats in a research environment and the government's research security measures are understood.

Strengthening domestic and international partnerships

• Chaired the Five Country Ministerial (FCM) in Wellington, New Zealand in June 2023, and participated in successive ministerial calls including in February 2024, with Five Eyes partners to discuss opportunities for collaboration on shared issues related to public safety, national security, and migration (e.g., Illicit Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis, Foreign Interference in Technology, Transnational Repression, Israel-Hamas Conflict and Domestic Social Cohesion) and to endorse the FCM thematic priorities for 2024.
• Supported engagements on shared cyber security commitments, including as part of the Cyber Diplomacy and Security initiative of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, including in South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, Australia, Fiji, and Singapore.
• Co-led, with Department of Justice Canada, the 2023 Canada-United States (U.S.) Cross-Border Crime Forum, which resulted in 18 concrete deliverables related to improved law enforcement cooperation and information sharing, as well as joint efforts to combat fentanyl/opioids and firearms trafficking. The Forum also included a special side-session dedicated to foreign interference.
• Established the first annual Public Safety Strategic Dialogue on National Security with the United Kingdom (UK) Home Office, with the first meeting hosted by the UK in April 2023.
• Led a delegation of Canadian officials on behalf of the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs to the 2023 G7 Interior and Security Ministers' (December 2023) and Roma-Lyon Working Group (co-led with Global Affairs Canada in Spring and Fall 2023) meetings in Japan. National security priorities and commitments, transnational organized crime, and terrorism, including joint initiatives and projects, were discussed. 
• Established, and co-led with the Deputy National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, the new Deputy Ministers Protection Committee, which meets regularly to make recommendations and provide advice to Ministers on potential recipients of protections based on threat analysis.
• Supported the participation of the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs in a session of the Canada-Caribbean Community Leaders' Summit on “Building Security and an Equitable Hemisphere”, which included a specific focus on Haiti, in October 2023. The Department also continued to play an integral role in planning Canadian police deployments in response to the crisis in Haiti as the lead for the Canadian Police Arrangement (CPA), a partnership between Public Safety Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Global Affairs Canada. CPA deployments help to bolster security in Haiti, and by doing so, reduce threats to Canada.
• Supported the development and negotiation of the Agreement on security cooperation between Canada and Ukraine through participation in interdepartmental consultations and subject matter expert review, integrating important national security elements into the Agreement. In addition, the Department continues to play an integral role in reestablishing contacts with and providing training to the National Police of Ukraine in support of community safety and building police capacity.
• Continued to play a key role in building the capacities of the Palestinian Civil Police, which is an important contribution towards a two-state solution and resolution to the regional conflict.

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. In 2023 to 2024, Public Safety Canada engaged a number of risk mitigation strategies to address its key risks:

• Public Trust in Government Institutions: Public Safety Canada established the Research Security Centre (RSC) which is mandated to provide guidance and advice to the research community on how to protect their research from unwanted theft and misuse. The Centre became fully operational in 2023 to 2024 with its new network of Regional Advisors focused on establishing relationships with universities across Canada and offering webinars on how to safeguard science to academic researchers. Through its network of Regional Advisors, the RSC continues to be easily accessible to researchers or select institutions needing support with any research security matters. Additionally, the RSC leads the national security review process through which funding applications are being referred to the Department for assessment under the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships, and offers an opportunity for applicants who get their funding denied to meet and better understand the decisions.
• Collaboration on Intersectional Priorities: Public Safety Canada engaged in several collaborative efforts to ensure that governmental response to national security threats is coordinated, aligned, and holistic. The Department continued to leverage existing relationships, such as senior-level working groups with domestic partners across governments and industries to share and align information and resources on various national security issues (e.g., investments, sensitive technologies, trade, etc.). Public Safety Canada also began work to establish new whole-of-government frameworks and governance structures to ensure alignment on government response to foreign interference.

Resources required to achieve results

Table 2 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to achieve results.

Complete financial and human resources information for the Public Safety Canada's Program Inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Related government-wide priorities

Gender-based analysis Plus

• Research Security Centre (RSC): Continued to work closely with its partners in Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) and the granting councils to monitor the impacts – if any – that the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships are having on funding decisions. Results of this monitoring for RSC's first year of operation were published in section 5 of ISED's “Progress Report on the Implementation of Canada's National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships and Supporting Research Security Efforts”. To date, there has been no change in the outcomes for different communities as a result of the Guidelines implementation.
• Critical Infrastructure (CI) Security and Resilience: Continued to identify and assess GBA Plus implications in the development of potential approaches to strengthen CI security and resilience. In particular, GBA Plus was used during the nomination/appointment process to obtain a more diverse representation of the Industrial Control Systems Security Advisory Committee. As a result, the incoming members represent many diverse intersecting identity factors including geography, gender, education, ethnicity, and age.
• Ideologically motivated violent extremism: To limit GBA Plus biases, the Department is developing a new risk assessment tool to guide the administration of the Passenger Protect Program. The tool will provide a more structured approach to analysis and assessments conducted under the program.
• Cyber Security and Cybercrime Engagement: Co-chaired a GBA Plus working group since 2022, in collaboration with Communications Security Establishment, focused on expanding engagement on the subject matter across cyber policy. The working group brings together participants from equity, diversity and inclusion and GBA Plus areas, as well as operational areas to share best practices, tools, lessons learned, and training opportunities. In 2023, the working group brought in a guest speaker from National Research Council of Canada to discuss "Behavioral Insights to Enhance EDI in Government" and issued a survey to take stock of the group's ambitions going forward. In 2024, the group made significant progress on increasing interactivity within the group and expanding membership across Government of Canada departments.
• Terrorist Listings: Reviewed the currently listed entities, finding that the membership of the majority of entities consist predominantly of men, and that nearly half of Canada's listed entities seek the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate which propagates Sharia Law. Women's involvement in terrorism in most cases has been less direct, tending to fulfil roles of sympathizers or mobilizers. The gender and geographic fluidity of the Listings Program is reflective of the male-controlled structure of terrorist groups and their religious affiliation. In the case of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism, extremist ideology is mobilized to recruit members, spurring the "othering" of minority and "non-traditional" gender groups.
• Cyber Security Data Strategy: Successfully added a number of GBA Plus-related questions into the survey during the review and modification of the 2021 iteration of the Canadian Survey of Cyber Security and Cybercrime (CSCSC). Additional changes are no longer being pursued, as there were talks in Fall 2022 to explore possible avenues to enhance data collection in this area, however Statistics Canada flagged that the low prevalence of gender diverse individuals who participate in the CSCSC poses a challenge in their ability to maintain the confidentiality of respondents.

Innovation

• Research Security Centre: With respect to the federal grant applications that were denied funding based on national security concerns, the staff of the Research Security Centre participated in meetings with the applicant to clarify the nature of the security concerns. These meetings served as a platform for education and transparency behind research grant decisions. Some of these discussions led to follow up engagement with researchers and faculty member to enhance their understanding of the research security issues, enabling better informed decision-making. These meetings were the first of their kind in this domain and will continue going forward.
• Ideologically motivated violent extremism: The Department engaged directly with impacted communities including through the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security and the National Security Transparency Advisory Group to inform the development of options to update Canada's Counter-Terrorism Strategy. This is the first time in over a decade that Public Safety Canada officials have engaged directly with communities on approaches to combat violent extremisms and hear from their lived experiences and studies.

Program Inventory

National Security is supported by the following programs:

• National Security Leadership
• Critical Infrastructure
• Cyber Security

Additional information related to the Program Inventory for National Security is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Core responsibility 2: Community Safety

In this section

• Description
• Progress on results
• Key risks
• Resources required to achieve results
• Related government-wide 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.

Progress on results

This section presents details on how the Department performed to achieve results and meet targets for Community Safety. Details are presented by departmental result.

Tables 3, 4, and 5: Targets and results for Community Safety

Tables 3, 4, and 5 provide a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Community Safety.

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Public Safety Canada's Program Inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Details on results

The following section describes the results for Community Safety in 2023 to 2024 compared with the planned results set out in Public Safety Canada's Departmental Plan for the year, which contribute to advancing Public Safety Canada's three departmental results under this core responsibility.

Departmental Results: Canadian Communities are safe; Community safety practices are strengthened; Crime is prevented and addressed in populations/communities most at-risk

Results achieved

Crime Prevention: Firearms and gun control

• Led the passage through Parliament of Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms), which received Royal Assent on December 15, 2023. The Bill introduced important new measures to combat gun crime and to help address the role of firearms in domestic, intimate partner and gender-based violence and in self-harm.
• Supported the deferral of Firearms Marking Regulations to ensure that Canadian manufacturers and importers are prepared to comply with the new requirements and allows time for engagement.
• Finalized several key components of Phase 1 of the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP; formerly Firearms Buyback Program), which, once fully implemented, will contribute to the removal of assault-style firearms from community availability and strengthen community safety, including:
  • Entered into a contract with the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association, which served as an intermediary with industry and assisted with developing compensation values for eligible business stock.
  • Issued an Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) to pre-qualify service providers to administer a range of services for the Program, including collection, transportation, storage, verification, validation and destruction of turned-in firearms. The ITQ closed in January 2024.
  • Held 83 engagements with provincial, territorial, municipal, Indigenous, police and private sector stakeholders. These engagements allowed the ASFCP to gather important feedback on Program development, ensure stakeholders remained informed of developments in Program design, and ultimately garner support of the provinces, territories and police of jurisdiction for the ASFCP delivery considerations.
  • Began, in collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada, the planning and design work to establish a contact centre for the ASFCP, which, once launched, will provide assistance to individuals and businesses wishing to participate.

Crime Prevention: Combatting gun and gang violence

• Renewed the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (ITAAGGV), focusing on Investing in Communities, Enhancing Federal Enforcement Capacity, and Enhancing Federal Leadership, until 2028. The initiative advances the three Community Safety departmental results through funding of support activities related to gang prevention, intervention, suppression and enforcement.
• Continued to work with all eligible recipients in the administration of funds under the ITAAGGV, with the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund (GGVAF) and the Youth Gang Prevention Fund (YGPF) recipients having received $79,323,440 for the 13 GGVAF and 2 YGPF projects funded. Recipients reported that their projects were producing positive impacts relative to their objectives and to the communities, populations or stakeholders served by their project. The positive results of these projects contributed to advancing the prevention of crime in populations most at-risk of entering or being affected by gang activity.
• Established a Federal-Provincial-Territorial committee to advance the development of the National Strategy to Reduce Gun and Gang Violence, including collaborative preparation work for external stakeholder engagements (i.e. municipalities, Indigenous communities, academia, and non-governmental organizations) to inform the strategy (ongoing). The Department will also be engaging other federal departments in other related areas (e.g., health, housing, education, economic development). The National Strategy, once developed, will provide a unified approach to Canadian community safety practices to address gun and gang violence.
• Entered into 84 contribution agreements with municipalities and Indigenous communities across the country, and the Province of Quebec, to bolster gang-prevention programing to counter the social conditions that lead to criminality in communities most at risk through the last two years of the Building Safer Communities Fund (2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026). Under these agreements, the Department disbursed a total of $72,200,165 to municipalities and Indigenous communities in 2023 to 2024.

National Crime Prevention Strategy

• Continued to support community safety and strengthened community safety practices through a variety of programs under the National Crime Prevention Strategy. For example:
  • Funded 26 new projects under the Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF; a total of 54 projects received approximately $28.7 million in funding in 2023 to 2024). These community-based initiatives engaged at-risk youth populations, including Black and Indigenous youth, in crime prevention interventions such as life skills training and wraparound programming, to reduce risk-factors and build protective factors.
  • Supported six new agreements under the Northern and Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund (total of nine projects received more than $2 million in funding in 2023 to 2024). These projects supported the implementation of innovative culturally sensitive crime prevention practices in Indigenous communities and responded to community-identified safety needs.
  • Advanced progress toward the effective implementation and expansion of the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP). Forty-one new SIP projects were signed in 2023 to 2024 (a total of 95 projects received approximately $4.4 million in funding), with an additional 108 projects selected for implementation as part of the 2023 Call for applications. These projects supported communities at-risk of hate-motivated crimes to strengthen the security of their community gathering spaces.
  • Implemented policy amendments to make the SIP more responsive to the needs of vulnerable communities, including: design and implementation of the new SIP Severe Hate-Motivated Incident Support stream, in order to respond to serious hate incidents outside a Call for Applications period; and committing $9.5 million for 179 projects under the Expanded SIP between November 2023 and March 2024.
  • Funded three projects targeting cyberbullying, in alignment with Canada's Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Strategy, the National Action Plan to End GBV, and the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan. These multi-year intervention projects are being funded through the CPAF and are building protective factors and fostering prosocial skills amongst youth participants.
  • Funded a Statistics Canada Daily article analyzing online hate, titled “Online hate and aggression among young people in Canada” and an Infographic: “Young people and exposure to harmful online content in 2022”; and published Examining Key Populations in the Context of Implementing Cyberbullying Prevention and Intervention Initiatives: Literature Review on 2SLGBTQ+, Girls and Ethno-racially Diverse Youth.

Anti-Money Laundering

• Played a key supporting role in considering design options for the establishment of the Canada Financial Crimes Agency (CFCA), and transferred the lead for the next phase of work to the Department of Finance.
• Continued to strengthen collaboration among a range of partners to prevent financial crime. The Financial Crime Coordination Centre (FC3) worked with other departments and agencies to support preparations for the 2024 Parliamentary Review of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, and engaged the international community on combatting financial crime. FC3 advanced Anti-Money Laundering (AML) collaboration across Canada through multilateral Federal-Provincial-Territorial forums, and bilateral engagement with provinces and territories.
• Hosted the third annual AML Spin Cycle Conference in February 2024. The hybrid event included over 1,350 registrants, from all level of government (municipal, provincial and federal) and from across all provinces and territories. Topics included cryptocurrencies, asset forfeiture and information sharing, along with case studies presented by AML investigators and prosecutors based across Canada and the United States. The continually growing conference provided a unique opportunity for financial crime professionals to meet and network to improve inter-agency coordination.
• Maintained and updated the online Knowledge Hub Portal (ongoing), the only central repository for financial crime-related content, contact information, and training resources. The Knowledge Hub includes information which helps investigators, prosecutors and other AML professionals in their work, allowing for more efficient communications and inter-agency cooperation. The portal also contains training opportunities from various partners, enabling users to discover and participate in training programs they might not have known were available.

National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence

Continued to advance three key priorities as the lead of the National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence:

1. Building, sharing, and using knowledge:

• Hosted the Conference on Countering Radicalization to Violence (CRV), “Megaweek”, in Ottawa in May 2023, bringing together more than 300 experts from all levels of government, industry, and civil society and from 16 other countries. At the event, the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs announced $25 million for projects to counter radicalization to violence through Public Safety Canada's Community Resilience Fund. Conference takeaways assisted governments, researchers, industry and practitioners in improving their ability to deliver programs and policies.
  • This gathering of key domestic and international partners responds to the commitment outlined in the government response to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security's (SECU) June 2022 report: The Rise of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism in Canada to engage across government and across sectors.
• Organized and co-organized 10 online and hybrid knowledge-sharing events with national and international key stakeholders with more than 850 attendees. These events included the Canada Centre's Work-In-Progress workshop series and a webinar series in partnership with the Canadian Association of Social Workers covering topics such as the role of counselling and social work in countering radicalization to violence, program evaluation, and fostering social cohesion.
• Implemented the Stakeholder Engagement Plan, via two key initiatives:
  • Co-chaired the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Countering Radicalization to Violence Working Group, a sub-group of the Crime Prevention and Policing Committee, which met three times in 2023 to 2024. This FPT working group increased coordination and best practice sharing across governments, including engagement with civil society and exploring the role of intervention, prevention, and outreach programs across sectors.
  • Met four times to discuss issues related to social cohesion, online harms, and violent extremism via the National Expert Committee on Countering Radicalization to Violence. The committee is comprised of experts from across the country who help ensure that the government's approach to preventing radicalization to violence is informed by a variety of expertise. The Expert Committee's contributions positively informed the Department's policy work, including for senior officials and the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs.

2. Addressing radicalization to violence in the online space:

• Supported the Departments of Canadian Heritage and Justice in developing Bill C-63, An Act to enact the Online Harms Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts, which was tabled in Parliament on February 26, 2024. The Bill, if adopted by Parliament, would address radicalization to violence online by holding industry accountable for addressing harmful content on their platforms, including violent extremist and terrorist content.
• Helped lead collaboration with Five Eyes and G7 partners in preventing and countering of violent extremist and terrorist use of the internet. The Department engaged closely with multistakeholder fora, including the Christchurch Call to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online where Canada helped advise the organization's recent transformation into a non-profit entity, as well as the industry-led Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism where the Department represented Canada as one of seven governments on its Independent Advisory Committee.

3. Supporting front-line interventions:

• Supported the new or continued implementation of 40 projects for research and frontline initiatives that address radicalization to violence via the Community Resilience Fund, with approximately $11.6 million spent in 2023 to 2024. Focus areas for new grants and contributions included research on anti-authority and accelerationist forms of ideologically-motived violent extremism, bridging CRV with restorative justice and anti-hate initiatives, and integrating CRV with youth-focused programming. The projects funded under the CRF supports the advancement of the digital literacy and front-line prevention capacity commitments in the government response to the SECU report: The Rise of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism in Canada.

Modernizing and reforming the Canadian criminal justice system: Record Suspension Program reform

• Continued to explore options to advance record-suspension related legislative amendments, including work alongside provinces and territories to resolve considerations and gaps identified in consultation.

Modernizing and reforming the Canadian criminal justice system: Community Corrections

• Finalized and published the Implementation Plan of the Federal Framework to Reduce Recidivism (FFRR), working with a diverse array of stakeholders, including criminal justice organizations, subject matter experts in community corrections, Indigenous-led and Black-led organizations, academics, and people with lived experience. In support of this plan, the Public Safety Canada portfolio, and other federal departments and agencies were consulted to identify existing programs and services that could be leveraged in the implementation of the FFRR.

Modernizing and reforming the Canadian criminal justice system: Transformation and Modernization of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

• Implemented ministerial direction to create a requirement for the RCMP to consult the Management Accountability Board (MAB) on key administrative, management, and corporate matters and provide information and reports with timely written responses to MAB advice. In addition, to increase the transparency of the MAB, an independent website for publishing reports and advice was created, and the RCMP has committed to publish their responses to MAB advice on their website as of February 2024.
• Supported the advancement of Bill C-20, An Act establishing the Public Complaints and Review Commission and amending certain Acts and statutory instruments (at Report Stage in the House of Commons as of the end of 2023 to 2024), which, if passed, will establish a public complaints and review body for both the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The review body would strengthen the accountability and transparency of activities undertaken by these agencies, and ensure members of the public have access to an independent review mechanism in case of complaint concerning an RCMP or CBSA employee's conduct or level of service.

Modernizing and reforming the Canadian criminal justice system: Contract Policing

• Entered into 54 retroactive salary repayment agreements, and collected $188.4 million of the total $448.1 million in owed costs (42%).
• Completed the Contract Policing program assessment, having led 35 engagement sessions with 171 partners, including provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous partners and other stakeholders. The assessment enabled Public Safety Canada to learn more about how to better support the evolving community safety needs and interests of partners and the broader population in order to work towards a more sustainable and accountable program model. A ”What we heard” report was published in early 2024 to 2025.

Policing in Indigenous Communities

• Developed Objectives and Guiding Principles in Spring 2023. In Summer and Fall 2023, Public Safety Canada engaged with subject matter experts, and provincial and territorial representatives to discuss practical and technical considerations for a First Nations police services legislation. This work culminated in the creation of proposed Elements to inform future legislation that would recognize First Nations police services as essential services.
• Provided funding to the Indigenous Leadership Development Institute to conduct Indigenous-led engagement on the proposed Elements, facilitating 10 regional engagement sessions and one national session in Winter 2024 to gather input from First Nations representatives. There were a total of 327 participants, representing more than 268 First Nations, First Nations police services and representative organizations.
• Engaged with Inuit and Métis partners on policing matters, leveraging reconciliation mechanisms and forums to build further on the deepened relationships with the Métis National Council, and Inuit Tapiirit Kanatami, and to inform the future of work for Indigenous community safety and policing.
• Continued to deliver funding to support culturally responsive policing and community safety services through the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP) and the First Nations and Inuit Police Facilities Program. This included ongoing funding for police services under Community Tripartite Agreements, new and ongoing funding for self-administered police services, new and ongoing funding for Community Safety Officers, and a funding for the repair, replacement and building of police facilities. This funding was intended to help stabilize these police services to make the communities they serve safer.
• Launched Stage 2 of the Community Safety Officer pilot project through the FNIPP, which included over $6 million in funding over 3 years, in partnership with provinces and territories. Funding allows for an alternative delivery of crime prevention and community safety services.

Combatting serious and organized crime: Organized crime

• Extended 6 out of 11 (55%) Biology Casework Analysis Agreements (BCAAs) for one year before they expired on March 31, 2024. Public Safety Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and participating provinces and territories have mutually agreed upon a negotiation schedule for the new BCAAs (in 2024 to 2025). This extension and the established negotiation schedule facilitate the continued use of the RCMP's DNA analysis services by implicated provinces and territories in support of criminal investigations, and ensured continuation of key information sharing required as part of policing practices to keep communities safe. 
• Provided $2.84 million to police services in Akwesasne and Kahnawake to help strengthen capacity, expand partnerships and increase awareness of organized crime and cross-border criminality, via the First Nations Organized Crime Initiative (FNOCI). For example, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) funded through FNOCI in Kahnawake presented the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program to approximately 120 students in grades 7,8, and 10 to help build resilience among First Nation youth in the community and live productive and drug and violence-free lives. In partnership with the Kahnawake education system, the PRO also expanded educational visits to include topics like firearm safety, how to report criminal activity to Kahnawake Peacekeepers and careers in policing. Plans are in place to expand the DARE program in the following school years to ensure all Kahnawake students receive this program.

Combatting serious and organized crime: Online child sexual exploitation

• Ran the “Never Alone” advertising campaign from October to November 2023. Advertising across platforms received 48.5 impressions, 148 thousand clicks and 7.9 million video views. The concept stressed the importance for parents/caregivers to speak to their kids about online child sexual exploitation (OCSE) and encouraged them to visit the Departmental website for more information and resources.
• Engaged in-person with 1,351 students from Grades 7 and 8 in Ontario schools through an Online Dangers school roadshow aiming to help students better understand how someone who is experiencing cyberbullying or OCSE might feel, shows potential warning signs, and offers resources they need to try and stay safer online. This roadshow included five interactive stations focusing on topics including: capping, sextortion, grooming, and cyberbullying, and promoted Cybertip.ca and Kids Help Phone. Results showed that students have a better understanding of where to go for help if faced with different situations online after completing the experience.
• Hosted a two-part webinar series, including a new panel discussion, on combatting OCSE. Topics of the two webinars included generative AI and deepfakes, and inclusion of children in OCSE response. 617 attendees participated (up from 611 in 2022 to 2023), and indicated that these sessions, particularly the revised discussion format, were useful and should continue.
• Renewed Contribution Agreements with seven provinces (i.e., British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) to provide enhanced support for their provincial and municipal Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) units, who received $6 million allocated through Budget 2024. Departmental funding has allowed provincial and municipal ICE units to hire and train more staff as well as access specialized training and equipment, leading to a reduced backlog of cases, which improves local law enforcement capacity to detect and respond to cases and victims of ICE.
• Created a new Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) working group dedicated to OCSE, given that combatting OCSE is a joint FPT responsibility. The working group served to enhance collaboration and improve coordination of efforts to ensure that Canadian communities, and vulnerable populations, are safe from OCSE. The working group met twice in 2023 to 2024, and have been considering possible criminal and civil justice changes at the federal, provincial, and territorial level to better protect children from OCSE.
• Co-led an initiative with the United Kingdom and in collaboration with G7 partners to develop an internal report presenting a list of common law enforcement requirements for industry when reporting cases of OCSE. The initiative and internal report was viewed as a reference point in the greater effort to inform and support strategic and operational decision making in relation to how G7 countries respond to industry reporting of child sexual abuse.
• Engaged with Five Country Ministerial, G7 and digital industry partners to promote the adoption of the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. The Department collaborated with other international allies through the Global Taskforce on child sexual abuse online on efforts to ensure a safer online space for children, and with major international tech companies, as well as with small- and medium-sized companies, on proactively detecting OCSE material. The work with international partners enabled Canada and like-minded countries to collaborate effectively in combatting this type of crime.
• Continued to support the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for the operation of Cybertip.ca, which processed 27,429 reports from Canadians in 2023, and Project Arachnid, which processed over 168 billion images by early 2024 to 2025, issuing over 39 million takedown notices for the removal of child sexual abuse material since its inception.

Combatting serious and organized crime: National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking

• Continued to advance work related to the appointment of a Chief Advisor to Combat Human Trafficking to support federal efforts to prevent and address crime in populations and communities most at risk. The Chief Advisor, once in place, will support national efforts through engagement with international and domestic stakeholders as well as provide advice on emerging trends and additional efforts to combat human trafficking.
• Renewed funding agreement to support the Human Trafficking Hotline ($2.5 million) and continued providing funding to anti-human trafficking projects. This included projects funded through the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime: twelve community-led empowerment projects focused on providing services and supports, and/or tools to victims and survivors of human trafficking, helping them recover from their trauma and regain their independence; and five projects focused on delivering innovative initiatives geared towards raising awareness of human trafficking and preventive actions amongst at-risk youth. Two examples of funded projects include:
  • Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc., an Indigenous-led organization located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which has been delivering Mush Kow Zee Ikwe – Strong Woman's Project. This project provides mentorship and counselling, substance abuse awareness and treatment referrals, life-skills and pre-employment training and housing support to 14-29 year old Indigenous females and non-binary people who are at-risk of sexual exploitation, being trafficked, becoming involved with the justice system, and living in poverty.
  • The Elizabeth Fry Society Hope and Help for Women, located in Ontario, has been delivering the Empowering Against Exploitation program designed to empower youth, increase their knowledge and skills, and decrease their risk of exploitation and sex trafficking. Facilitated group curriculum, workshops and presentations were delivered in local schools, shelters, group homes, and within other agencies and services in the community to female-identifying girls between the ages of 12-24.
• Continued to deliver an awareness campaign, “It's not what it seems”, to raise awareness on the prevalence of human trafficking in Canada, informing the public of common misunderstandings on the crime, and how to safely report suspected cases. The campaign targets the public, with a focus on youth, parents, and at-risk populations.
• Developed guidelines for front-line community workers supporting victims of sexual exploitation and victims of labour trafficking (to be further refined to ensure alignment with existing parallel federal guidance for front-line interveners with victims/survivors of human trafficking). This work helps support efforts to ensure community safety practices are strengthened with a view offering victims and survivors of human trafficking culturally sensitive and trauma informed supports when sought.

Reducing illegal drug supply and use: Addressing the supply of illegal drugs

• Advanced the following efforts in support of the renewed Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy:
  • Amended the Terms and Conditions of the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime and initiated procurement processes and a Privacy Impact Assessment as part of work to pilot an overdose monitoring application (expected launch in 2025). Through the application, the pilot project, once launched, will provide near real-time surveillance data on suspected overdose incidents in up to three jurisdictions, and will alert public safety and health personnel in the event of a sudden spike in overdose incidents so that they may respond rapidly. The application will also provide valuable data about drug trafficking patterns to law enforcement. The pilot is expected to provide information that will improve overdose outcomes and contribute to drug trafficking investigations, thereby making Canadian communities safer.
  • Promoted uptake of the Drug Stigma Awareness Training for law enforcement, contributing to close to 5000 frontline officers being trained by December 31, 2023. These officers are now better equipped to have positive interactions with and support people who use substances in accessing care and social services, thereby contributing to improved safety for them and the communities they live in.
  • Collaborated with international partners and facilitated improved information sharing and drug policy coordination through a range of fora, including the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee, the North American Drug Dialogue (NADD) and the Canada-U.S. Opioids Action Plan, among others. These collaborations helped advance shared priorities such as identifying regulatory gaps, engaging with private sector partners, and beginning work to better understand how firearms trafficking and drug trafficking are linked. The Department also led the development of a counternarcotics partnership between NADD partners and the Netherlands and contributed to sharing best practices through working groups on illicit drug manufacturing and trafficking through the new Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats. Only by coordinating policy and action with our international partners can Canada effectively disrupt organized drug crime and flows of illegal drugs and precursor chemicals that are driving the opioid overdose crisis, and ensure collaborative community safety.
  • Completed work with federal partners and Canadian law enforcement to identify key challenges related to the domestic production of synthetic drugs and identify options to address them. Based on the analysis, the Department will work with partners to prepare policy advice in 2024 to 2025, intended to strengthen Canada's capacity to address illegal drug threats to our communities.

Reducing illegal drug supply and use: Addressing the illegal cannabis market

• Convened experts from academia, law enforcement, and provinces and territories to develop a standardized approach to better estimate the size of illicit cannabis markets, which included agreement on key indicators and operational protocols for collecting data. This work, once completed, will facilitate better estimating of the size, scope and characteristics of illicit cannabis markets, which will inform strategies and help law enforcement across jurisdictions target their efforts to continue to reduce illicit cannabis markets, both domestically and for export.
• Provided written and verbal briefings for the Expert Panel conducting the legislative review of the Cannabis Act on online illicit cannabis sales, which outlined key challenges and considerations for addressing them. The Departmental input helped to inform the findings and recommendations of the Final report of the Expert Panel, which was published in March 2024. The report will inform how public safety portfolio partners can target their efforts, alongside police of jurisdiction to continue to make progress in reducing illicit cannabis market or unregulated sources.
• Completed Public Opinion Research (POR) to better understand the motivations of persons who continue purchasing cannabis from the illicit market. The report will inform future policy and public education/awareness activities across the public safety portfolio and federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions aimed at making progress in shifting consumers to the legal cannabis market.
• Completed research at the University of Waterloo to estimate the number of Canadians who use cannabis purchased from ‘unlicensed' sources (i.e., the size of the illicit cannabis market in Canada, based on 2022 national population-level survey data) in March 2024. The data provides details on consumption patterns by sex and legal market capture by product type. The findings will inform policy and data work. 
• Continued to work with the University of Montreal to conduct an ongoing web-scraping study on illicit web merchants, providing information on how they operate. Key findings include data on the number of illicit cannabis vendors, price and quantity of illicit cannabis available online, and incentives used to entice consumers to purchase illicit cannabis (e.g., discounts, home delivery). The findings will inform ongoing efforts to disrupt the sale of illicit cannabis online.
• Worked in partnership with law enforcement at the provincial, territorial, and municipal levels to identify and share best practices in working collaboratively with third parties to disrupt illicit cannabis markets online.

Reducing illegal drug supply and use: Drug-impaired driving

• Worked with the provinces, territories, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canada Border Services Agency to prepare the fourth Annual National Data Report on Trends and Patterns in Drug-Impaired Driving (DID). The report is a mechanism to inform Canadians on activities undertaken to address DID and their results, and keep Canadians safe on the roads.
• Supported two ongoing studies: the first, on the effects of edible cannabis on simulated driving performance conducted by the Centre on Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) with expected results in 2024 to 2025; and the second, that collects toxicological data among injured drivers in 18 hospital sites across the country. Federal funding for this second study, conducted by the University of British Columbia, has enabled the continuity of this innovative analysis of blood samples among injured drivers presenting in hospitals and trauma centres, which to date is one of the most reliable methods to measure the prevalence and level of various substances in traffic incidents. Findings of these two studies will inform policy and program development to continue addressing DID going forward.
• Supported the development of a third study on the effects of smoked cannabis on simulated driving performance conducted by CAMH. Completed in 2023, this third study shows that overall, higher doses of cannabis have larger significant effects on maximum speed, land deviation, and reaction time. Findings of this study will also inform policy and program development on DID going forward.

Strengthening border policy and security: Immigration and Border Policy

• Coordinated with Canadian and United States (U.S.) partners to provide immigration security and border policy advice to the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs on several immigration security issues, such as:
  • the development of policy solutions to mitigate immigration security risks in relation to initiatives responding to emerging regional and global migration challenges;
  • the development of advice for the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs, in collaboration with Portfolio agencies and other key partners, in support of the 2023 immigration levels plan, including strategic security considerations.
• Supported the advancement of Bill S-7 (awaiting second reading in the House of Commons as of the end of 2023 to 2024). Bill S-7 would establish a legislative threshold that must be met before Canadian border services officers and U.S. preclearance officers in Canada can proceed with a search of personal digital devices (e.g., smartphones).
• Continued to work with federal, U.S. and industry partners to ensure Preclearance operations are adequately staffed to meet cross-border travel demand. Travel delays experienced in prior years, which were attributed to Preclearance staffing levels, were subsequently resolved in 2023 to 2024.

Additional Achievements Beyond the 2023 to 2024 Departmental Plan Commitments: Government of Canada Responses to the Public Order Emergency Commission Recommendations and the Final Report of the Mass Casualty Commission and Establishment of the Progress Monitoring Committee

• Released the government's response to the recommendations of the Public Order Emergency Commission's Report of the Public Inquiry into the 2022 Public Order Emergency on March 6, 2024.
• Released the government response to the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC)'s Final Report, Turning the Tide Together: Final Report of the Mass Casualty Commission on March 28, 2024.
• Established and announced funding to support the joint Federal-Provincial Progress Monitoring Committee, to monitor and report on progress towards implementing the findings and recommendations in the MCC's Final Report. The Monitoring Plan was developed and finalized during three meetings held between September 2023 and March 2024.

Additional Achievement Beyond the 2023 to 2024 Departmental Plan Commitments: National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft

• Convened an in-person National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft in Ottawa, gathering approximately 200 participants and countless others virtually, including federal, provincial, and territorial ministers and officials; representatives from all levels of law enforcement; and industry leaders from the insurance, automotive and shipping sectors, on February 8, 2024. Discussions focused on finding solutions to the growing challenge of auto theft in Canada, in keeping with the Government of Canada's commitment to combatting serious and organized crime and to ensuring the safety of communities. Participants signed a Statement of Intent to endorse their commitment to working together to combat auto theft and to finalizing an action plan moving forward (Action Plan published on May 20, 2024, and to be updated quarterly).
• Announced $15 million over three years through the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime to support law enforcement in combatting auto theft: $9.1 million to provincial, territorial and municipal police forces to increase capacity to take custody of detained stolen vehicles from the Canada Border Services Agency; $3.5 million to International Criminal Police Organization to strengthen identification and retrieval of stolen vehicles and parts around the world; and $2.4 million to support ongoing coordination and engagement, following the summit. 

Overall, these activities and additional achievements contributed to the safety of Canadians by ensuring public safety risks were identified and that mitigation strategies were put in place. They also contributed to community safety by ensuring that the Department and its portfolio agencies have the appropriate resources and tools to ensure the integrity of Canada's borders.

Key risks

Public Safety Canada's expansive commitments under the Community Safety core responsibility warrant the management of a diverse array of risks and associated mitigation strategies. For 2023 to 2024, the following mitigation strategies were engaged to address the key risks:

• Resource Availability: Public Safety Canada continued to encounter limited resource availability, which contrasted with increased expectations from external partners to address evolving threats and provide increased support. For example, partners receiving funding via departmental contribution programs expressed expectations for allotment of funds which may have exceeded the departmental allotment. Additionally, increased pressure to participate in domestic and international engagement contrasted against the human resources available to participate in these engagements. In response, the Department engaged in ongoing prioritization of available resources, and proactively and strategically communicated with partners to discuss the limitations and possibilities, and set realistic expectations.
• Reliance on Partnership Action: The Department's partners continued to experience challenges which created delays in their ability to collaborate. Public Safety Canada maintained consistent and collaborative relationships to mitigate the risk of variable partner resource availability and advance shared objectives. For example, Public Safety Canada worked with Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) partners to design and facilitate written stakeholder engagement for the National Strategy to Combat Gun and Gang Violence at the request of some PTs who lacked resources for this process.

Resources required to achieve results

Table 6 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to achieve results.

Complete financial and human resources information for Public Safety Canada's Program Inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Related government-wide priorities

Gender-based analysis Plus

• Indigenous Policing and First Nations police services legislation: Provided funding to the Indigenous Leadership Development Institute to conduct Indigenous-led engagement on the proposed Elements of a First Nations police services legislation. First Nations police services and communities, provinces and territories, women, 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations, youth and Elders were invited to attend and provide their feedback. There were a total of 327 participants.
• Combatting Organized Crime: Funding provided through the First Nations Organized Crime Initiative provides culturally responsive policing services that target youth, including girls, to support crime prevention. For example, the Public Relations Officer in the Kahnawake Peacekeepers worked closely with their new Domestic Violence Resource Officer to help develop an online presence to promote community services as well as coordinating and providing resources to support attendance at a sexual health fair held at one of the community high schools.
• Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP; formerly Firearms Buyback Program): Prioritized engagements with Indigenous organizations and impacted Indigenous-owned businesses and individuals. Fourteen engagements had been completed with organizations such as the Métis National Council and the First Nations Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as other experts. Through these engagements, Program officials have identified core challenges to its delivery and access for Indigenous peoples, including languages and technology. Given this, the ASFCP adopted a distinctions-based approach to modify processes and to anticipate needs and considerations for impacted Indigenous firearms owners.
• National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS): Funded 26 projects under the Crime Prevention Action Fund, with a total of 20 projects specifically targeting Black and Indigenous youths. Among these projects, 8 focused on Black youth, 10 on Indigenous youth, and 2 projects addressed both Indigenous and Black youth. For example, the CPAF funded an initiative in Halifax which offers safe spaces and support that assist Black youth in strengthening relationships, getting access to education and breaking down barriers to employment. Its goal is to help Black youth thrive through projects that foster community collaboration, understanding and growth. The CPAF also funded a project which offers services and supports to young people in Montréal between the ages of 6 and 25. From helping them build skills that will lead to education and employment opportunities to providing mental health care, it makes a difference in the lives of over 700 young people every year.
• Security Infrastructure Programs: The majority of Security Infrastructure Programs (SIP) projects served to protect spaces utilized by minority groups (e.g., religious minority groups, Black, Indigenous, South Asian). The 2023 SIP call assessment methodology prioritized communities historically underrepresented in the program while still serving those statistically most at-risk. The prioritized organizations included those from Atlantic Region/Territories and those representing Black, Asian, and Indigenous communities. Twenty-four organizations under the new recipient class introduced in 2022, shelters serving victims of gender-based violence, including those directed to 2SLGBTQIA+ people, are now accessing SIP funding, representing a total of $1.2 million.
• Online Child Sexual Exploitation: Continued to provide funding support to White Ribbon to create culturally appropriate and relevant curriculums for communities vulnerable to sexual exploitation, specifically Indigenous and racialized youth. By capturing intersectional youth perspectives, White Ribbon was able to enhance the ways in which they connect with traditionally underserved youth and learn more about the root causes and areas for prevention. Also, following internal and external outreach to identify gaps in Indigenous OCSE statistics and research, the Department began engagement with Indigenous-led organizations, such as Indspire and Moose Hide, and with 2SLGBTQIA+ associations to ensure the OCSE National Strategy initiatives remain culturally relevant and are reaching populations most at-risk of online sexual exploitation. This engagement will help inform the next round of funding for targeted awareness to begin in Fall 2024.
• National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking: Organizations funded through the Department's two anti-human trafficking funding streams delivered projects targeting specific at-risk target groups including clients who identify as youth, women, girls, 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, migrants and immigrants. The methodological approach for the development of guidelines for front-line community workers supporting victims of labour trafficking and victims of sexual exploitation incorporated key stakeholders from agencies and representatives that work directly with victims and survivors of sexual exploitation, and survivors who volunteered to participate, were not currently in acute crisis or danger, and/or who were not in the early stages of their recovery/healing. A comprehensive cross-section of survivors from diverse backgrounds was included to ensure individuals and groups from under-served or marginalized populations (i.e., 2SLGBTQIA+, males, disabled, etc.) were represented. Efforts were made to engage survivors that have and have not reported their experiences to law enforcement and/or who have participated in the justice process. An Indigenous-led sub-contractor also provided input.
• Other cross-portfolio and cross-governmental initiatives: Continued to ensure that all policy advice provided accounts for GBA Plus considerations. For example, particular attention to gender considerations was required when assessing immigration policies related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, given the complex humanitarian crisis and challenging security screening conditions. Bill S-7, as amended by the Senate, also includes a legally tested and well-understood threshold for the examination of personal digital devices which will serve to provide vulnerable and diverse groups, such as racialized minorities and gender minorities, with greater protection of their privacy and protection against arbitrary examinations. Finally, GBA Plus data was gathered from applicants at the community-level to help identify the demographic characteristics of the communities/populations applying under the Community Resilience Fund, which helped provide insight on general priority groups that communities feel most likely to be radicalized to violence.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 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.

Innovation

• Social Impact Bond: Completed the second year of three in June 2023 of the implementation of the YMCAs of Quebec Alternative Suspension (AS) Social Impact Bond. Third party evaluation results from the 2022 to 2023 school year confirmed that, when compared to a group of students that did not participate in the intervention, approximately 7% more students achieved a positive change in their problematic behaviours after participating in the AS intervention. While this result was not as strong as the first year, the benefit of the Social Impact Bond model is that it allows the YMCAs of Quebec to innovate on program delivery.
• Gun and Gang Violence: Public Safety Canada worked to increase its capacity to assemble and report up on ITAAGGV results, including by updating and standardizing its Annual Performance Reporting across crime prevention programs, supported by financial reporting and non-financial reporting on the Gun and Gang Violence Action, Youth Gang Prevention and Building Safer Communities Funds. As part of the work to improve ITAAGGV results and accompanying the work on the National Strategy to Combat Gun and Gang Violence, development of a data strategy began in 2023 to 2024. 
• Expanded Security Infrastructure Program (ESIP): Implemented a continuous intake approach, rather than a traditional call for applications with a delineated window of time to apply, due to the time-limited nature of the ESIP. This enabled the Program to continue to meet the communities' evolving needs for the entire duration of the funding (November 2023-April 2024). The Program also altered the nature of the application assessment process, where applications were not being compared against each other to determine merit, but were assessed on a first-come, first served basis. This streamlined the need for information on the application, making it easier for both the applicant and the program official assessing the application. It also facilitated a more organic, flexible project development process, which also reduced the time required to launch projects to an average of 56 calendar days from the date of application receipt to signing of Contribution Agreement.
• Countering Radicalization to Violence: As part of its efforts to build the field of countering radicalization to violence (CRV), the Canada Centre has been expanding outreach to key sectors including with professional associations that train and support frontline practitioners. This work led to an innovative partnership with the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW), to co-host a webinar series titled “Preventing and Countering Radicalization to Violence in Canada: A Webinar Series with Frontline Practitioners on Evidence-Based Approaches, Multi-Agency Collaboration, and the Role of Social Work”. The recordings of the four webinars can be watched by social workers who are CASW members on-demand as part of social workers' mandate to engage in continuing education. The four virtual webinars have reached more than 600 social workers across Canada, equipping them with knowledge to contribute to addressing CRV.
• Policing in Indigenous Communities: To estimate future funding allocations for Indigenous police services, Public Safety Canada worked closely with provinces and territories, the First Nations Chiefs of Police Association and the First Nations Police Governance Council to develop an internal costing tool that draws on comparable police services reference information from across Canada.

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

Additional information related to the Program Inventory for Community Safety is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Core responsibility 3: Emergency Management

In this section

• Description
• Progress on results
• Key risks
• Resources required to achieve results
• Related government-wide 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.

Progress on results

This section presents details on how the Department performed to achieve results and meet targets for Emergency Management. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 7 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Emergency Management.

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Public Safety Canada's Program Inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Details on results

The following section describes the results for Emergency Management in 2023 to 2024 compared with the planned results set out in Public Safety Canada's Departmental Plan for the year.

Departmental Result: Canada can effectively mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from all-hazards events

Results achieved

Emergency Preparedness: Enhance federal emergency response readiness

• Advanced after-action reporting on Exercise Coastal Response 2023, conducted between February 7 and 9, 2023, implicating more than a dozen federal departments. The exercise and subsequent reporting activities allowed departments to test emergency measures and review legislation to identify gaps. As a result, there was a focus on prioritization of Ministerial public communications following disaster-related events, increased learning opportunities for provinces and territories on the Request for Federal Assistance process, and expanded involvement of the Humanitarian Workforce Non-governmental Organizations.
• Participated in Exercise Op NANOOK, Arctic Thaw Exercise, and supported design and development of exercise Cobalt Magnet with Canadian and United States partners. The Government Operations Centre (GOC) supported drafting of the Concept of Operations for the Arctic Thaw Exercises series to streamline the preparation and communication of science advice within government. In addition to increasing preparedness, these exercises enhanced partnerships and collaboration with colleagues at the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security.
• Continued work with key partners to conduct annual risk assessments for cyclical risks via the GOC. Risk assessments were prepared for the three primary risks that Canada faces: floods, wildfires and hurricanes. In addition to providing senior-level and key decision makers a clear picture of the upcoming cyclical season, early discussions took place with the most at-risk provinces and territories. This early engagement enabled identification of areas where federal support may be required, enhancing preparedness.
• Engaged with EM partners to provide greater assistance to federal departments' planning, testing, and enhancing of EM literacy. The GOC led or actively participated in various senior-level EM governance committees and working groups to review roles, responsibilities and governance models with departments and ensure they are understood at the federal level.

Emergency Preparedness: Emergency Management Strategy and Action Plan

• Advanced the Emergency Management (EM) Strategy for Canada in collaboration with other federal partners, which culminated in the revised Areas for Action report (formerly the EM Action Plan), which was published in early 2024 to 2025. This new, evergreen action plan advances work in the five priority areas of activity delineated in the EM Strategy, and establishes shared priorities for federal, provincial, and territorial governments to develop strong, resilient communities. The report also calls for strengthened collaboration among all partners in emergency management, in accordance with each government's respective priorities, roles and responsibilities.
• Shared lessons learned and discussed how to best implement those lessons to prepare for potential emergencies in 2024 between the Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for Emergency Management (EM). Ministers approved the release of the FPT EM Strategy: Areas for Action, which calls for strengthened collaboration among all partners in emergency management, in accordance with each government's respective priorities, roles and responsibilities. Discussions on shared priorities reflected the progress to build further resilience for future emergencies, focusing on prevention and mitigation initiatives as well as robust response and recovery.
• Developed strong international partnerships with key partners including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Five Eyes, and others. Public Safety Canada concluded key bilateral agreements with Five Eyes partners (including a renewed Memorandum of Understanding with Australia and a new Joint Council for Emergency Management with the United States), and hosted senior-level American officials as part of the Emergency Management Consultative Group. This enabled Canada to share best practices and advance dialogue on disaster resilience, in line with the Sendai Framework. Canada remains actively involved with multilateral discussions on disaster risk reduction and resilience in forums such as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, NATO, the G20 and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. International partnerships and agreements enable better sharing of resources and best practices between partners to increase resilience to disasters.
• Established the federally-led Indigenous Emergency Management Working Group, which is chaired by Public Safety Canada and includes Indigenous Services Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, National Indigenous Organizations (i.e., Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Métis National Council), and the provinces and territories. The Working Group convenes to discuss emergency management priorities and concerns.

Emergency Preparedness: Federal Emergency Management Modernization Project

• Advanced efforts on the findings of the Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP) renewal process to strengthen federal readiness and response doctrine. The Department rebuilt the federal emergency management (EM) governance structures focused on policy and federal preparedness and response functions. The Government Operations Centre (GOC) also advanced work towards issuing a modernized FERP “Framework” to enable effective support of the Emergency Management Act, based on the internal work on renewal requirements as well as considering Five Eyes best practices. Together, these and other activities have enhanced the GOC's role in EM, resulting in increased EM literacy and understanding across government.
• Developed a proposal for a new Federal EM workforce development program to fill gaps in coordination and standardization of training and development.
• Continued work on defining a Federal EM Information Management (IM) Strategy, including engagement with a number of federal Chief Information Officers and other partners focused on the specific and unique needs for information technology and IM for emergency preparedness and response. The EM IM Strategy will aim to bring new tools forward to update a currently analog approach to information gathering and reporting.
• Advanced efforts to complete the construction of the new GOC facility, despite significant delays, with key partners. Although delays related to supply chains are ongoing, work continues to finalize the fit up of the furniture, IT and communications tools, with an expected move-in date of March 2025. The new facility is designed with specific capabilities to meet the current and future needs of federal emergency preparedness and response in Canada.

Emergency Preparedness: National Adaptation Strategy on Climate Change

• Released the National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) and Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan (GOCAAP) on June 27, 2023, following consultations with provinces, territories, and National Indigenous Organizations. The NAS establishes a shared vision for climate resilience in Canada, key priorities for collaboration and actions towards reducing the hazards related to climate change, and aligns collective and individual actions for faster, coordinated, and systemic adaptation. The GOCAAP is the implementation plan for the NAS, and continued being implemented through Federal-Provincial-Territorial bilateral action plans and Indigenous adaptation action.

Emergency Preparedness: National Action Plan on Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries

• Signed a revised contribution agreement to disburse $16.7 million over 5 years ($43.75 million in 2023 to 2024) to the Canadian Institute of Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) until 2028. This funding will enable them to continue supporting the metal health of public safety personnel, including via the Knowledge Exchange Hub and PSPNET. Strengthening mental health supports and awareness thereof is vital to maintaining and retaining front-line public safety personnel, which bolsters national readiness and resilience.
• CIPSRT held the first-ever public safety personnel-focused symposium in March 2024. This event showcased research outcomes and related national efforts in support of public safety personnel mental health and wellbeing, and allowed CIPSRT to disseminate reliable solutions and enhance the mental health of public safety personnel and their families.

Understanding Disaster Risks: Emergency Management Public Awareness Contribution Program

• Completed all activities related to the Emergency Management Public Awareness Contribution Program, for which 2023 to 2024 was the final year. The Canadian Red Cross has submitted its final report for the project on the development and implementation of a national public awareness campaign targeting at risk populations, including seniors, youth, women, new Canadians, and Indigenous communities.

Understanding Disaster Risks: National Risk Profile

• Published the first public report of the National Risk Profile (NRP) in May 2023, which provides Canadians and emergency management partners and stakeholders with an understanding of three of the most concerning hazards: earthquakes, wildland fires, and floods. This evidence-based report facilitates effective awareness and decision-making when responding to these hazards. Findings included a need for partnership amongst levels of government across Canada, a need for greater awareness of disaster risk, and for a better understanding of the mental health impacts of disasters.
• Started a second round of risk and capability assessments for hurricanes, heat waves, and geomagnetic storms. The assessment was not completed in 2023 to 2024 due to delays caused by staffing shortages, and is expected to be completed in 2024 to 2025. The NRP sunset in March 2024, and the second round will be the final round of NRP assessments. However, ongoing work to conduct risk and capability assessments continue, to support greater awareness of disasters, as well as the importance of collective and coordinated preparedness for all hazards.
• Continued work to create an online public-facing Flood Risk Portal to provide more comprehensive flood risk information as well as resources and suggestions for Canadians. The establishment of a Flood Risk Portal, once completed, will strengthen awareness across all sectors of society by providing actionable information on flood risk, and improve preparedness by enabling all of society to take measures to reduce risk.

Emergency Response: Enhancing disaster response capacity and emergency response coordination

• Advanced efforts towards the development of a National Search and Rescue framework (NSARF). An initial version of the NSARF was endorsed by federal government members of the Interdepartmental Committee on Search and Rescue (ICSAR) representing federal departments and agencies with SAR-related roles and responsibilities. Input and feedback continues to be sought from provincial and territorial government authorities for SAR and to add the specific approaches to search and rescue for those jurisdictions. Strengthening collaboration with partners improves governance across whole-of-government and whole-of-society, and enables better event response by reducing logistical barriers. Improving knowledge sharing and best practices enables better preparedness and response measures across the whole of society.
• Integrated Transport Canada's National Aerial Surveillance Program Imagery Tool into Government Operations Centre products, enhancing situational awareness products for Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) partners. This tool was used to support wildfire response efforts in British Columbia and Nova Scotia.
• Developed new situational awareness products for distribution to FPT stakeholders in line with the review of the Emergency Response Plan. These products were circulated to and informed senior officials.

Emergency Response: National Public Alerting System and Public Safety Broadband Network

• Continued to lead collaborative Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) work to explore a renewed approach for sustaining and enhancing Canada's National Public Alerting System (NPAS), as well as to address critical gaps in federal alerting capabilities.
• Created and implemented a federal public alerting capability to all 13 PT jurisdictions, including refreshing the Missile Warning Protocol and operationalized its use under the NPAS in January 2024. This work improved the GOC's ability to respond to events by ensuring Canadians have the critical information they need during emergencies and enhancing the overall notification process to mitigate impacts on the Canadian population.
• Discussed next steps to advance a future nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, including planned federally-led engagement on a national governance framework for a future network, via the FPT ministers responsible for emergency management in February 2024.

Emergency Response: Canadian Red Cross and Humanitarian Workforce

• Announced in July 2023 an additional $82 million over three years (with over $27 million disbursed in 2023 to 2024) for the Supporting a Humanitarian Workforce to Respond to COVID-19 and Other Large-Scale Emergencies program. This funding allows the Canadian Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, The Salvation Army and the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada to maintain a group of volunteer emergency responders and emergency management professionals who can rapidly deploy on short notice in response to emergency events.
• Launched a targeted engagement with emergency management partners and stakeholders, including provinces and territories, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous leaders, voluntary and youth organizations, private sector, academia to understand current capacities, gaps and limitations on key topics relating to emergency response and gather insights and views on ways to more efficiently leverage these capacities following large-scale emergency events. This engagement will help inform the Department on what a pan-Canadian civilian response capacity model could look like.
• Announced three coordinated donation-matching initiatives with the Provinces of Alberta and Nova Scotia and Government of Northwest Territories in response to the 2023 wildfire season. Donations being matched by the federal government are supporting the Canadian Red Cross's disaster response and recovery efforts in Alberta and Nova Scotia, as well as the efforts of the United Way of Northwest Territories in that territory.

Emergency Response: Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) Program

• Finalized the National Concept of Operations for Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR), which was endorsed by members of the USAR Advisory Committee in early 2024 to 2025, in preparation for presentation to the Senior Officials Responsible for Emergency Management in mid-2024. This foundational document sets the stage for pan-Canadian interoperability and interjurisdictional response and provides the basis for national accreditation of Canadian HUSAR teams.

Emergency Response: International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme

• Coordinated and led Canadian delegations at multiple international meetings related to the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme, including COSPAS-SARSAT Council, Joint Committee, and an Experts Working Group on Two Way Communications. This included coordinating the participation of multiple federal departments, such as Global Affairs Canada, Department of National Defense, and others. Canada's ongoing participation and leadership role in this international Programme ensures national views are reflected in the Programme's decision making. Participation also supports Canada's ongoing investment in the Middle Earth Orbit Search and Rescue Program and provides Canadian search and rescue authorities with timely and accurate search and rescue distress alert and location data to support Canada's search and rescue system.
• Assisted in the hiring of a new Head of Secretariat in February 2024. Fully transitioning the new Head of Secretariat will be one of Canada's key responsibilities upon assuming Chairmanship of the Programme in 2024 to 2025.
• Participated in in-person negotiations with France, the Russian Federation and the United States of America (i.e., the Parties) to renew the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme Agreement (ICSPA). This engagement resulted in positive progress on 11 of the 24 proposed articles for the renewed ICSPA, with commitment from the Parties to continue negotiations to fully renew the 1988 Treaty in 2024 to 2025. The renewal ensures the Treaty reflects the on-going technological evolution of the international Programme and ensure global coverage for distress alerting and location data for search and rescue is delivered to authorities with efficiency and accurately.

Emergency Recovery: Flood Insurance

• Reconvened the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Risk Reduction (formerly Relocation), with the first plenary meeting held on March 28, 2024 (three working sessions and closing plenary meeting held in first quarter of 2024 to 2025, public report forthcoming). Engagement in this forum included membership by all provincial and territorial counterparts; industry practitioners; and implicated federal government departments and agencies, and focused on the development and implementation of a potential low-cost flood insurance program and the requirements for its long-term fiscal sustainability, including cost-sharing and risk mitigation. As extreme weather and climate-induced hazards become more frequent, intense, and recurring, the flood insurance program, once implemented, will build disaster and climate resilience by ensuring that Canadians have access to affordable protection against flood events.

Emergency Recovery: Disaster Financial Assistance Agreements

• Completed complex stakeholder engagement to solicit perspectives on the modernization of the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA), including a cross-country workshop for 12 jurisdictions. Informed by the information collected during the engagement activities, the Department developed and finalized the terms and conditions for the modernized DFAA in Spring 2024, for sharing with provincial and territorial (PT) partners and stakeholders ahead of release to the public in 2024 to 2025. Modernizing the DFAA program will support response and recovery by allowing Canada's response and recovery mechanisms to better reflect the changing hazard landscape of today, with natural hazards increasing in frequency and severity.
• Obtained approval for ten (10) Orders in Council to enable financial assistance to PTs via the existing DFAA framework, with a total of $139.3 million being provided to support response and recovery efforts from various hazards, including providing or reinstating the necessities of life to individuals. DFAA supports facilitated: help to repair and restore damaged homes; re-establishment or maintenance of the viability of small businesses and working farms; repair, rebuild, and restoration of public works and the essential community services to their pre-disaster capabilities; and funding-limited mitigation measures to reduce the future vulnerability of repaired or replaced infrastructure. In 2023-24, the DFAA continued to assist PTs with the costs of dealing with disasters, where those costs would otherwise place a significant burden on the provincial or territorial economy and would exceed what they might reasonably be expected to fully bear on their own.
• Coordinated 24 Requests for Federal Assistance (RFA) via the Government Operations Centre, of which 18 were in response to the historic wildfire season, one to flooding in Nova Scotia in July 2023, and one in February 2024 to the winter storm that resulted in one of the heaviest snowfalls in Nova Scotia in the past 20 years.

Key risks

Public Safety Canada's responsibility to ensure that Canada can effectively mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from all-hazards events requires the Department to manage several key risks. In order to address those key risks, the Department employed a number of mitigation strategies during the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year:

• Resource Availability: Ongoing resource restrictions, due in large part to the current fiscal environment impacting the whole-of-government and Canadian society writ large, increased delivery challenges particularly for engagement operations. The frequency and severity of emergencies also continue to increase, and so do the required resources to fulfill federal commitments. To mitigate this risk, Public Safety Canada worked very closely with other government departments, including National Research Council of Canada, Infrastructure Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, to ensure alignment and utilize expertise across the federal government. For example, despite some program integrity funding received in 2022 which helped alleviate some burden, the Government Operations Centre (GOC) was still required to supplement its emergency event response teams via the GOC Surge Capacity Program, which brought in resources from other federal departments to respond to the unprecedented 2023 wildfire season. Sharing expertise and resources across departments helps reduce duplication of work, helps to distribute and harmonize response capacity, and helps leverage common initiatives, data and information across Canada. Through coordination and knowledge sharing, the GOC helped increase efficiency thus mitigating the impact of limited resource availability.
• Complexity of the multi-hazard environment: Canada experienced an unprecedented summer wildfire season in 2023, and an increased frequency of major weather events throughout the year. Despite limited departmental resources available, environmental scans were conducted to develop compendium documents related to potential threats and response roles for implicated departments and agencies. These compendia allowed federal partners to gain a clear understanding of potential events, and set a clear path forward on how to respond if required to do so in a short period of time. Given the need to coordinate response efforts across the Government of Canada, regular interdepartmental senior-level committee meetings also helped identify lessons learned from event responses, including the need for sustainable resources, having greater knowledge about the health impacts of air pollution, enhanced public health communications, and forecasting fire risk. These lessons learned are key to addressing issues across all hazards, including building surge capacity and having better supports for Indigenous communities.
• Inter-Sectoral Collaboration: Domestic and international partnerships were critical to the achievement of emergency management priorities. As such, to mitigate the risks associated with partnership reliance, the Department continued to proactively and frequently engage with its key partners through a variety of fora and regular communication. For example, the Department maintained a variety of flexible and open fora for provinces and territories to collaborate and engage on the modernization of the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA), including online asynchronous as well as open-house-style drop-in meetings and more formal presentations. These fora allowed partners to engage actively with Public Safety Canada and with each other on the new program, and helped raise awareness and promoted a willingness to enact positive changes.
• Protection for Canadians Most At-Risk: Recognizing that emergencies impact Canadians differently, Public Safety Canada continued to ensure that its programs were developed and implemented in ways to support those most at-risk. For example, the Department has recently completed the new Terms and Conditions and Guidelines for the modernized DFAA program, which includes an entire funding stream focused on meeting the needs of those most-at-risk to the impacts of disasters, and those who experience disproportionate impacts. This new program is set to launch on April 1, 2025, however, in the meantime, Public Safety Canada has continued to fund mitigation projects through the existing DFAA program.

Resources required to achieve results

Table 8 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to achieve results.

Complete financial and human resources information for Public Safety Canada's Program Inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Related government-wide priorities

Gender-based analysis Plus

• National Risk Profile (NRP): Integrated enhanced GBA Plus and equity-based methods into the second round of the NRP risk assessments to better understand the diverse experiences of those who face multiple barriers when preparing for, responding to, and recovering from various hazards (final report to be made available in 2024 to 2025). Members and representatives of vulnerable communities across Canada were invited to provide their input and perspectives on differential impacts of disasters specific to their communities, as well as best practices to increase disaster resilience. The NRP created a positive impact for diverse groups by identifying disproportionate disaster impacts on vulnerable populations, which can help identify the interventions needed to reduce these risks for everyone in Canada.
• Enhancing and Sustaining Public Alerting Capabilities: Improved, collaboratively with federal, provincial, and territorial partners, the accessibility of public alerting through the amendment of the Common Look and Feel guidance on the use of official languages. When alerts are issued in both French and English, television, radio, cable/satellite and wireless service providers are required to deliver the alert message in its entirety in both languages, regardless of where in Canada it is being broadcast. French and English speaking minorities are positively impacted by this progress.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI): Worked towards gaining a better understanding of which diverse public safety personnel groups are more impacted by PTSI, and worked with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to identify any GBA Plus data that came from CIHR-funded research, in order to better identify gaps and further research needs. A revised contribution agreement was signed with the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment to enable them to continue their work until 2028. A symposium was also held in March 2024 showing research outcomes and best practices for supporting mental health and well-being. This supports and strengthens the availability of resources for those suffering from post-traumatic stress injuries.
• Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI): Continued to develop the “SoVI 2.0”, which helps inform the development of data-informed equity-based policies and effective disaster and emergency management strategies across the country. Demographic indicators as part of the SoVI include: sex (male or female), age (15-64; 65+; children under 5; children under 15), 1st generation status, Canadian citizenship, Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit, Métis), Year of Immigration, ethnicity, knowledge of official languages, post-secondary certificate. Other indicators related to access and mobility, health and wellbeing, housing, social networks, and economic security were also used.
• Flood Risk Portal: Remained under development in 2023 to 2024. Although the target audience is the general public, it is understood that certain communities are disproportionately vulnerable to flood risk. Therefore, the web content and all communications are being developed with these communities in mind. The Portal will include two ratings, one of which is the Community Risk Indicator (CRI). The CRI will represent the risk specific to a community and its ability to cope with a given level of flooding. The CRI leverages proprietary and open-source data for flood hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative flood risk measurement for each Dissemination Area boundary for all of Canada. The CRI is calculated for a given community based on its annualized flood risk (average annual loss), social vulnerability (i.e., SOVI 2.0 noted above), and National Disaster Resilience Index. This will allow for robust analysis and consideration of GBA Plus through analyzing flood data in the context of socio-economic indicators.
• Government Operations Centre (GOC): Support for vulnerable, at-risk and marginalized populations remained top of mind when the GOC coordinated emergency response and facilitated Requests for Federal Assistance. The GOC integrated GBA Plus and intersectional factors into cyclical planning, situational awareness products, and exercise design using data provided by other federal departments (e.g., Statistics Canada and Indigenous Services Canada). In addition, the GOC integrated Statistics Canada's Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation into its Geomatics Webmaps, which enabled the GOC and its partners to evaluate the vulnerability of populations based on four components: residential instability, economic dependency, situational vulnerability and ethno-cultural composition. This information can be used to support decision-making by federal departments and agencies when responding to emergencies.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 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.

Innovation

• National Risk Profile (NRP): Published the first NRP public report on May 11, 2023, and established the NRP process. The methodology for the second round of NRP analyses included a number of novel methodological changes such as: developing a new standardized methodology for calculating average annual human and economic loss from less-studied hazards (to be made available publicly by 2025); using online tools to develop new data collection methods, such as first-of-their kind capability assessment surveys; modifying the capability assessment system to conduct analyses outside of a specific scenario (e.g. Yukon earthquake) which allows for better identification of general gaps in the emergency management system and more nuanced information on possible actions; and integrating a targeted process to solicit input directly from diverse communities.
• Flood risk awareness portal: The Flood Risk Awareness Portal (still under development as of the end of 2023 to 2024) is a data-driven policy and communications tool, focusing on behavioural change outcomes. The Portal will provide centralized, accessible flood hazard and risk information across Canada and share actionable guidance and resources that motivate behaviour change and inform risk reduction decision-making by Canadians.

Program Inventory

Emergency Management is supported by the following programs:

• Emergency Prevention/Mitigation
• Emergency Preparedness
• Emergency Response/Recovery

Additional information related to the Program Inventory for Emergency Management is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Internal Services

In this section

• Description
• Progress on results
• Resources required to achieve results
• Contracts awarded to Indigenous business

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

Progress on results

This section presents details on how the Department performed to achieve results and meet targets for internal services. In 2023 to 2024, Public Safety Canada focused 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. These achievements also served to advance the Department's two key internal services priorities:

Departmental Strategic Priorities:

• Promote an ethical and values-based departmental culture supported by practices focused on respect, diversity and inclusion, mental health and workplace wellness; and
• Enable a connected workforce as well as transparent and effective management practices within the Department using proactive modern approaches, in collaboration with Portfolio agencies and other partners.

Diversity and Inclusion

• Advanced work on an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) performance measurement framework (PMF) to assess and report on progress towards the Department's EDI outcomes and in response to recommendation 5.26 of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Audit of Inclusion in the Workplace for Racialized Employees. This included the development an EDI logic model, establishment of a working group comprised of key stakeholders, and creation of a work plan to guide the development of the EDI PMF in 2024 to 2025.
• Organized and facilitated D&I outreach and awareness-building opportunities for all employees, such as training sessions on Belonging at Work and Accessible Procurement, and a new D&I Speaker Series to provide continuous learning and development opportunities for employees and to raise awareness on issues related to anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Celebrated the fifth annual Diversity and Inclusion Week in November 2023, which included the launch of a new land acknowledgement guide, a name change process guide, and guest speakers. 
• Supported the Department's Black Employee Network in providing learning and development activities for Black History Month under the theme "Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build”. Events included a movie club event and sharing educational resources on Black History to foster a deeper understanding of the unique struggles, triumphs, and contributions of Black communities.
• Undertook an Employment Systems Review (ESR) of employment programs, policies and practices to identify, examine and address systemic and attitudinal barriers that impact designated groups. The ESR recommendations, along with guidance from the Call to Action, and the results from the Office of the Auditor General audit on Inclusion in the Workplace for Racialized Employees, were used to inform and develop the internal 2023-2027 EDI Action Plan for Public Safety Canada.
• Oversaw the development of the Department's 2024-2026 EDI Action Plan including hiring and promotion targets for all four Employment Equity groups, and Black and other racialized employees, which fulfils requirements described in the Employment Equity Act and the forward direction on the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service, ESR and Public Service Employee Survey results.
• Advanced the Public Safety Canada 2023-2026 Accessibility Plan by implementing an ergonomic lending library, exploring an accessible-by-default approach to equipping the workplace, acquiring screen readers for Departmental Communications team to test all web content for accessibility purposes, and facilitating mandatory consultations with persons with disabilities during the inception phase of any new tool, program or service. The year one Accessibility Plan Progress Report published in December 2023 indicated that 46% of the 85 actions across the seven pillars of the Plan were ongoing or completed.
• Created two new departmental employee networks to serve as safe spaces for employees: Employees with Disabilities Network and the Indigenous Circle. Also, the Positive Space Initiative pivoted from a learning initiative to an employee-led network in support of the departmental 2SLGBTQIA+ community. These communities provided valuable insights and perspectives on the development of programs, plans and initiatives such as the ESR, the 2024-2026 EDI Action Plan, the implementation of the Accessibility Plan, and the mandatory performance objective on D&I for all employees and managers.
• Developed a new internal 2024 to 2027 Official Language Action Plan, including actions to address language barriers and support the hiring of Employment Equity groups such as prioritizing in-house part-time language training registration to Indigenous Peoples, members of visible minority groups, and persons with disabilities. 

People Management

• Held three Public Safety Canada student recruitment campaigns, and actively participated in six student recruitment fairs and events, including the Federal Youth Network Departmental Showcase, and the University of Ottawa virtual Fall Career Fair (October 2023), the Ottawa Career Fair for Students and Recent Graduates with Disabilities (November 2023) and the Federal Safety, Security, and Intelligence Career Fair (February 2024). Recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds continued to be a priority in order to renew and invest in the workforce of the future.
• Launched a new internal Learning and Development Policy suite to provide employees with transparent and equitable access to learning, training and development opportunities, as well as information on education leave without pay provisions, in order to enhance their knowledge, skills, and response capacity while supporting Public Safety Canada values.
• Championed learning, development and networking activities across the organization, with engagements such as: mental health learning series, group language training, a leadership speed mentoring event, and a partnership with the Canadian Innovation Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, which offers monthly webinars and in-person sessions for employees (48 offered in the 2023 calendar year, with 342 employees registered) on topics related to mental health, diversity and inclusion, and employee well-being.
• Sought input and encouraged reflection on values and ethics (V&E) through 10 consultation sessions with employees and the integration of V&E into the employee performance process through a common mandatory objective on wellness, equity, diversity and inclusion. The Department also launched a Code of Conduct update to the Departmental V&E standards and strengthened V&E information sharing across the Department on various topics and employee responsibilities including the disclosure of wrongdoing, Simple Rules, departmental values, political activities, safeguarding information, conflict of interest, code of conduct, social media and the duty of loyalty.
• Supported a total of seven employees from employment equity and equity-seeking groups via the Mosaic and Sponsorship+ programs. These efforts contributed to enhancing the responsiveness of the workforce through supporting future leaders from diverse groups.
• Led succession planning for executives through performance management and talent management discussions. Additionally, the Executive Human Resources Committee reviewed and discussed ongoing executive staffing movements within the Department to ensure retention of key talent and succession considerations in the collective management of executive staffing.
• Continued the intake into the departmental Human Resources Advisor and Administrative Support development programs which provide participants with training, mentoring, meaningful job placements and guided career developmental support. The programs provide employees with the right skills and knowledge to do their jobs efficiently, and lay the groundwork for a common Public Safety culture, shared values, ethics and priorities.

Health and Safety

• Undertook an internal Workplace Risk Assessment to identify risk factors that contribute to harassment and violence in the workplace, with the final report expected in May 2024. The results and recommendations in the report will help to identify, develop and implement preventative measures linked to the identified risk factors in order to mitigate any risks to employees to working in a safe and harassment-free workplace.
• Implemented workplace accommodation best practices, including the allocation of centralized funding for workplace accommodations and centralized duty to accommodate services. This initiative helped to ensure that Public Safety Canada's work environment was inclusive and non-discriminatory by establishing clear and effective mechanisms for responding to employee accommodation needs and finding ways to remove workplace barriers.
• Reinforced the Hazard Prevention Program aimed at protecting workers' health and safety by integrating the Employee Hazard Profile (EHP) into the onboarding process. This exercise helped ensure that employees are informed of any potential workplace hazards and that preventive measures are implemented to reduce or prevent the occurrence or risk to the employee.
• Partnered with St. John Ambulance to certify First Aid Respondents in the National Capital Region and Regions in order to ensure a safe and secure work environment that supports employees' well-being.
• Implemented the Mental Health Responders at Public Safety program in October 2023 to promote employee mental health and workplace wellness and to help employees in sensitive situations requiring intervention or support.

Workforce Planning and Modernization

• Continued the use of MyWorkArrangement application to support the development of work arrangements for all employees, including hybrid and full time telework agreements, where possible.
• Modernized the Public Safety Canada workplace, technologies and processes to optimize performance in the hybrid environment (ongoing as part of long-term accommodation plan).
• Engaged with security personnel and senior leadership communities on defining and ensuring the consistent application of security controls in shared hybrid risk environments.
• Assessed and evaluated evolving client service needs, risks and opportunities in the hybrid environment to optimize the corporate services delivery model, including implementation of an Ambassador program to provide onsite health, safety and corporate support to employees in real-time.
• Supported effective change management, communications and engagement at all levels through the continuation of monthly Workplace Consultation Committee meetings open to all staff, as well as by leveraging internal communication tools and platforms.

Government of Canada Business Continuity Management Program Renewal

• Provided leadership and expert advice to whole-of-government on continuity management and emerging security issues through regular correspondence and consultation meetings. Engagements with departmental Business Continuity Management (BCM) programs increased about 20% from the previous year.
• Led the BCM Interdepartmental Community of Practice, chairing quarterly meetings, and launched the first Government of Canada BCM Awareness Week, providing departments and agencies with tools and resources to promote and improve awareness of BCM within their own organizations.
• Launched the Business Continuity Management Program Guide: A Government of Canada approach to building organizational resilience, 2023 Edition and a new Business Impact Analysis Tool. The guide and tool outlines the Government of Canada's approach for integrating continuity concepts and establishing a common foundation, and standards for establishing, managing, and evaluating BCM programs, ensuring that the governmental BCM community is better equipped to establish and manage a BCM program.
• Collaborated with the Canada School of Public Service to build a new BCM Program course, to be made available in Fall 2024. This foundational course will increase knowledge of BCM across federal institutions, and be followed by two subsequent courses aimed at BCM practitioners, currently under development

Resources required to achieve results

Table 9 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents (FTEs) required to achieve results.

Complete financial and human resources information for Public Safety Canada's Program Inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Government of Canada departments are to meet a target of awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses each year. This commitment is to be fully implemented by the end of 2024 to 2025.

As shown in the Table 10, Public Safety Canada awarded 9.9% of the total value of all contracts to Indigenous businesses for the fiscal year.

Final Indigenous procurement results reporting for 2023 to 2024 are to be submitted to Indigenous Services Canada in September 2024. After preliminary review, Public Safety Canada awarded contracts to indigenous business for a total value of $4.4 million, which represents 9.9 percent of total contracts awarded, exceeding the 5 percent minimum target.

Public Safety Canada launched two Requests for Standing Offers (RSOs) to set up standing offers (SOs) for the Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative, which resulted in awarding 10 SOs in 2023 to 2024. Under these SOs, facilitators delivered approximately 42 strategic planning workshops and provided support to communities in the development of approximately 14 Community Safety Plans in 2023 to 2024, which indigenous communities use to foster safer communities in a culturally relevant manner.

Public Safety Canada also awarded a value of approximately $740,000 worth of call-ups and amendments to call-ups against the Departmental internal SO for translation services (a volunteer set-aside). This standing offer is set to expire this year and the Department is currently working on a new volunteer set-aside RSO. By leveraging this RSO, economic opportunities for indigenous businesses are increased.

To further encourage contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses, Public Safety Canada has also been promoting engagement sessions with Indigenous and Inuit suppliers as part of Request for Proposal processes. The engagement sessions provide an opportunity for the Department to explain the government procurement process to suppliers, and to answer any questions. The Department held two engagement sessions in 2023 to 2024.

When using Public Service Procurement Canada's supply arrangements for professional services, the Procurement Officer ensured to invite at a minimum of one indigenous supplier to all competitive processes.

Finally, all of Public Safety Canada's procurement officers have taken the Indigenous Considerations in procurement and the course Procurement in the Nunavut Settlement Area from the Canada School of Public Service.

Spending and human resources

In this section

• Spending
• Funding
• Financial statement highlights
• Human resources

Spending

This section presents an overview of the Department's actual and planned expenditures between 2021 to 2022 and 2026 to 2027.

Text description of graph 1

The graph illustrates the Department's actual spending for the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year by showing actual spending for each core responsibility in dollars and in percentages. Community Safety represents $839,595,906 dollars or 57 per cent of the total $1,484,124,375 dollars of Departmental actual spending; Emergency Management represents 35 per cent with $523,075,930 dollars in actual spending; Internal Services represents 6 per cent of the Department's actual spending with $87,393,872 dollars; and National Security represents 2 per cent of the actual spending with $34,058,667 dollars.

Analysis of actual spending by core responsibility

Actual spending for National Security core responsibility was $34,058,667 (2%) in 2023 to 2024, which is primarily attributable to strengthening cyber security and critical infrastructure resilience ($6.5 million), as well as national security policy ($6.2 million) and national security operations ($6.1 million).

Actual spending for Community Safety core responsibility was $839,595,906 (57%) in 2023 to 2024, which is primarily attributable to payments for the following transfer payment programs:

• First Nations and Inuit Policing Program ($217.6 million);
• Newfoundland and Labrador's New Adult Corrections Facility Project ($150 million);
• Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund under the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence ($77.3 million);
• Building Safer Communities Fund ($66.4 million);
• Major International Events Security Cost Framework ($57.1 million); and
• Memorial Grant Program for First Responders ($46.5 million).

Actual spending for Emergency Management core responsibility was $523,075,930 (35%) in 2023 to 2024, which is primarily attributable to payments for the following transfer payment programs:

• Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements Program ($408.9 million); and
• Supporting a Humanitarian Workforce to Respond to COVID-19 and Other Large-Scale Emergencies ($27.8 million).

Actual spending for Internal Services was $87,393,872 (6%) in 2023 to 2024, which is used to support various departmental programs and initiatives in order to ensure effective delivery of the Department's programs and the ability to meet its corporate obligations.

Budgetary performance summary

Table 11 presents how much money Public Safety Canada spent over the past three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services.

Analysis of the past three years of spending

In 2023 to 2024, main estimates and planned spending increased by $353.7 million (13%) to total authorities available for use of $3 billion. This increase is primarily attributable to new funding for:

• the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador to contribute to the New Adult Corrections Facility Project ($150 million);
• renewal of the Initiative to Take Action against Gun and Gang Violence ($83.3 million);
• Major International Event Security Framework, for safety and security-related expenses for the December 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference held in Montreal ($48.2 million) and for the July 2022 Papal visit ($11.5 million); and
• Humanitarian Workforce to Respond to COVID-19 and Other Large-Scale Emergencies contribution program ($36 million).

These increases were offset by a transfer to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for the First Nations Community Policing Service ($70.4 million) under the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP), which takes place annually through the Supplementary Estimates.

Actual spending for 2023 to 2024 is $1.5 billion (51%) lower than total authorities available for use. This variance is primarily attributable to the following transfer payment programs:

• Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program ($1.3 billion) which is anticipated to be fully transferred for use in future fiscal years, due to shifts in forecasted requests for payments;
• FNIPP ($47.8 million) which is anticipated to be fully transferred for use in future fiscal years, due to program delays such as provincial-territorial partners facing challenges securing their cost-share funding;
• First Nation and Inuit Policing Facilities Program (FNIPFP) ($42.5 million) which is anticipated to be fully transferred for use in future fiscal years, mainly due to unforeseen project delays. The recent volatility of the construction industry has resulted in unforeseen cost increases (stemming from material and fuel price increases, as well as labour shortages) and project delays impacting the recommended projects. Moreover, transaction costs, short shipping and building season have adverse impacts on infrastructure projects in Canada's Arctic; and
• Memorial Grant Program for First Responders ($30.6 million) which is anticipated to be fully transferred for use in future fiscal years. Public Safety was successful in eliminating the program backlog in 2023 to 2024. The transfer of this surplus funding for use in future fiscal years would allow the program to avoid building any backlog and pay grant applications when they are received.

Compared to actual spending in 2021 to 2022, actual spending for 2022 to 2023 was $2.2 billion (210%) higher. This increase was primarily attributable to the increase in payments ($2 billion) under the DFAA program to support provincial and territorial disaster response and recovery efforts, including the 2021 disasters in British Columbia.

Actual spending for 2023 to 2024 is $1.8 billion (55%) lower than expenditures in 2022 to 2023. This decrease is primarily attributable to the aforementioned payments ($2 billion) under the DFAA program, which were completed in 2022 to 2023. 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. This is offset by the following increase in payments for the:

• Province of Newfoundland and Labrador to contribute to the New Adult Corrections Facility Project ($150 million);
• Major International Event Security Cost Framework ($57.1 million) to reimburse partners for safety and security-related expenses for the December 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference held in Montreal and for the July 2022 Papal visit; and
• Building Safer Communities Fund ($50.7 million).

More financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

Planned Spending for Upcoming Three Years on Core Responsibilities and Internal Services

Table 12 presents how much money Public Safety Canada's plans to spend over the next three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services.

Analysis of the next three years of spending

The decrease of $752 million (47%) in planned spending between 2024 to 2025 and 2026 to 2027 is mainly attributable to a decrease in payments ($450 million) 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 for First Responders backlog and accommodate projected near-term growth in program applications ($34.5 million), as well as lower than anticipated spending under the Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF; $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 BSCF ($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).

More detailed financial information from previous years is available on the Finances section of GC Infobase.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the Department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.

Analysis of statutory and voted funding over a six-year period

The fluctuation in planned and actual spending over the six-year period is primarily attributable to the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program. The DFAA contribution program represents a significant portion of Public Safety Canada's budget and is subject to unforeseen events, as the program is aimed at natural disaster response and recovery.

The DFAA program has base ongoing funding of $100 million as Grants & Contributions, however additional funding has been received in recent years to cover the increase in natural disasters. In 2022 to 2023, the DFAA received an increase in funding levels of $2.3 billion for that year, $1.6 billion for 2023 to 2024 and $450 million for 2024 to 2025, to support provincial and territorial disaster response and recovery efforts and for the 2021 British Columbia natural disasters. In 2025 to 2026, the DFAA funding will return to its base funding of $100 million.

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, the fluctuations in planned spending over the next three fiscal years are primarily due to a fluctuation in funding levels for the First Nations and Inuit Policing Facilities Program ($53.7 million in 2024 to 2025; $22.5 million in 2025 to 2026; and $20 million in 2026 to 2027) and the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program ($348.1 million in 2024 to 2025; $325.8 million in 2025 to 2026; and $312.3 million in 2026 to 2027), as well as the maturation of funding for various programs, including the Building Safer Communities Fund ($86.9 million in 2024 to 2025; $54.4 million in 2025 to 2026; and no funding thereafter), and the Humanitarian Workforce Program ($36 million in 2024 to 2025; $36 million in 2025 to 2026; and no funding thereafter).

For further information on Public Safety Canada's departmental voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada.

Financial statement highlights

Public Safety Canada's complete financial statements (unaudited or audited) for the year ended March 31, 2024, are available online.

Actual Expenses and Revenues in 2023 to 2024 compared to Planned Expenses and Revenues for 2023 to 2024

Table 13 summarizes the expenses and revenues for 2023 to 2024 which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

The 2023 to 2024 planned results information is provided in Public Safety Canada's Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2023 to 2024.

Actual Expenses and Revenues in 2023 to 2024 compared to 2022 to 2023

Table 14 summarizes actual expenses and revenues in 2023 to 2024 compared to 2022 to 2023 which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

Departmental Liabilities and Assets for 2023 to 2024 compared to 2022 to 2023

Table 15 provides a brief snapshot of the Department's liabilities (what it owes) and assets (what the Department owns), which helps to indicate its ability to carry out programs and services.

Human resources

This section presents an overview of the Department's actual and planned human resources between 2021 to 2022 and 2026 to 2027.

Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services

Table 16 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.

Analysis of human resources over the last three years

The increase of 207 FTEs (16%) from 1,298 FTEs in 2021 to 2022 to 1,505 FTEs in 2022 to 2023 is primarily the result of the new funding that was received through the Supplementary Estimates for additional FTEs required to support the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (previously the Firearms Buyback Program) and the stabilization and modernization of Government Operations Centre and emergency management capacity. The increase is also attributable to additional salary resources required in internal service provision to support the delivery of these programs.

The increase of 113 FTEs (8%) from 1,505 FTEs in 2022 to 2023 to 1,618 FTEs in 2023 to 2024 is primarily the result of new funding that was received through the Supplementary Estimates for additional FTEs required to support the ASFCP and to enhance disaster resilience.

Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Table 17 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 the next three years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.

Analysis of human resources for the next three years^{Footnote 61}

Overall FTEs in 2024 to 2025 will decrease by 72 FTEs (5%) from 1,618 actual FTEs in 2023 to 2024, to 1,546 planned FTEs in 2024 to 2025 primarily as a result of maturation for the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (previously the Firearms Buyback Program) funding related to the web portal and case management system, and for anti-money laundering.

FTEs in 2025 to 2026 will decrease by 125 (9%) from 1,546 in 2024 to 2025 to 1,421 in 2025 to 2026 primarily as a result of maturation of the delivery to businesses phase of the ASFCP and of implementation of the Criminal Code Authorization Regime.

FTEs in 2026 to 2027 will decrease by 92 (7%) from 1,421 in 2025 to 2026 to 1,329 in 2026 to 2027 primarily as a result of maturation for the gun and gang initiative, for the ASFCP funding related to the firearms control framework, for the co-development of First Nations police services 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

Departmental 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
• Response to Parliamentary committees and external audits
• Up-front multi-year funding
• United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals

Federal tax expenditures

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

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, departments 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 report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité)

A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. 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 quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the Department's core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a Department's actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

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. For a particular position, the full-time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person's collective agreement.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

An analytical tool used to assess support the development of responsive and inclusive how different groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and 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 (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2023 to 2024 Departmental Results Report, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government's agenda in the November 23, 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 where two or more federal departments are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

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 a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the Department intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an department, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department 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 to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in 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 the Department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

Identifies all the Department's programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the Department's core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)

A consequence attributed, in part, to an department, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single department, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the Department's influence.

Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)

For the purpose of the Directive on the Management of Procurement Appendix E: Mandatory Procedures for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses and the Government of Canada's commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses, a department that meets the definition and requirements as defined by the Indigenous Business Directory.

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 a department, 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.