Re-profile of Vote 5 funding – Grants and Contributions for PS from a previous year for the Safe Restart Agreement for federal investments in testing, contact tracing and data management (COVID-19)
Date: 11 May 2021
Classification: UNCLASS
Fully releasable Yes
Branch/Agency: EMPB/PS
Proposed Response:
- The Government of Canada has committed up to $170 million to financially assist the Canadian Red Cross to support its ongoing relief efforts:
- up to $100 million to support the Red Cross to meet increased demand due to COVID-19 and to support potential floods and wildfire relief efforts (announced by the Prime Minister on May 16, 2020);
- up to $35 million for Red Cross personnel to support Outbreak Crisis Management activities (announced in the Fall Economic Statement 2020); and,
- up to $35 million to support testing-related activities by the Red Cross COVID-19 Testing Assistance Response Teams (transferred to Public Safety from Health Canada from its Safe Restart Agreement Funding).
- By the end of fiscal year 2020-21, close to $100 million in funding had been allocated to increase and maintain the CRC’s capacity to respond as well as to support requests for assistance from Provinces and Territories. No request was made against the testing assistance funds.
- The effects of the pandemic continue to be felt and there is an ongoing need for the Federal government to readily provide assistance to Provinces and Territories when asked. Consequently, the $35 million earmarked for testing assistance is being re-profiled to fiscal year 2021-2022.
Financial Implications:
- $35 million to be re-profiled from fiscal year 2020-2021 to 2021-2022 and accessed through Supplementary Estimates A.
Background:
In May 2020, the Government of Canada committed up to $100 million to help the Canadian Red Cross meet increased demand due to COVID-19, and to support future floods and wildfire relief efforts. An additional up to $70 million was announced in December 2020, to provide up to $35 million (announced in the Fall Economic Statement 2020) for Red Cross personnel to support Outbreak Crisis Management activities, and up to $35 million (transferred to Public Safety from Health Canada from its Safe Restart Agreement Funding) to support testing-related activities by the Red Cross COVID-19 Testing Assistance Response Teams (CTART). This funding is administered under the Government of Canada’s existing contribution program: the “Supporting the Canadian Red Cross’s Urgent Relief Efforts Related to COVID-19, Floods and Wildfires” program.
Beginning in May 2020, the Canadian Red Cross deployed to support long-term care homes in Quebec, and more recently, in Ontario and Manitoba. It has also supported isolation sites in Windsor-Essex, Ontario for temporary foreign workers from across Southwestern Ontario.
Through the Outbreak Crisis Management teams, the Red Cross continues to provide support in the areas of epidemic prevention and control, isolation site support, emergency care services in living environments, mental health and psychosocial support services, and health emergency response units. The COVID Testing Assistance Response Teams (CTART) funding will help the Red Cross to create and deploy more teams of clinical and non-clinical staff who will support logistics, distribute information, meet surge testing needs, and fill the gaps for targeted COVID-19 testing. CTART funds are currently limited to supporting testing activities.
A request for federal assistance is how provincial and territorial governments formally request support from the Government of Canada in their emergency response efforts. Provincial and territorial governments make requests for federal assistance when an emergency event overwhelms, or threatens to overwhelm, their resources and help from the Government of Canada is needed to effectively support the response.
This surge support is made available when all other resources have been exhausted. Provinces and territories prioritize the needs of their municipalities and are responsible for formally requesting support from the Government of Canada. The federal government is responsible for assessing these requests and deciding where funding can be provided based on the greatest need, urgency and the capacity available.
As of March 31, 2021, $70M in funding remained unused, including all of the CTART funds. Considering the ongoing need to be ready to support Provinces and Territories, $35M in Outbreak Crisis Management and $35M for CTART are being re-profiled to FY 2021-2022. Discussion are also occurring to obtain authorization to access the CTART funding to support needs outside testing.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Dominik Breton, Program Manager, (343) 549-2208
Approved by: Trevor Bhupsingh, Assistant Deputy Minister, (613) 993-4325
- Date modified: