Parliamentary Committee Notes: Emergency Management in Canada

Date:

April 20, 2022

Branch/Agency:

EMPB

Proposed Response:

• For those in Canada who might be concerned about their safety and security here within our borders, it is important to note that all levels of government continue to work diligently to ensure that our emergency management system remains robust and agile as we plan for and respond to the various risks we might face.

Emergency Management Overview

• Canada’s emergency management (EM) system is complex – with many interdependencies.
• EM responsibilities are shared by Federal, Provincial, and Territorial governments and our partners, including Indigenous peoples, municipalities, and individual citizens who all have a responsibility to be prepared for disasters and contribute to community resiliency. 
• Provincial and territorial (PT) governments have responsibility for EM within their respective jurisdictions.
• As you all know and have seen in your own communities, emergencies are managed first at the local level – by first responders such as medical professionals and hospitals, fire departments, the police and municipalities. Local authorities who need assistance request it from their provincial or territorial governments.
• Should a province or territory require resources beyond their capacity to cope in an emergency or disaster, the federal government responds rapidly to any request for assistance (RFA) by a provincial or territorial government.
• When the emergency involves a First Nation (FN) community, FN leadership, depending on relevant emergency management agreements, will work in collaboration with their PTs and/or Indigenous Service Canada (ISC) or regional officials, to assess the emergency and propose a response. If a resolution is not possible at the regional level, an RFA may be sought.

RFA Process

• A RFA is a formal request to the federal government to provide support in a response to an emergency such as a natural disaster, national security incident and public health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
• There is a well-established process in place for managing RFAs, through the Government Operations Centre (GOC), that includes interdepartmental consultation and coordination of all departments as required.
• The GOC also interacts on a daily basis with the Provincial and Territorial Emergency Operations Centres, and coordinates official RFAs that could come from federal departments and agencies, and provinces and territories.  

FPT Governance

• The federal government collaborates closely with PT governments via an agile governance structure to both build on and leverage Canada’s EM capabilities in a coordinated manner.
• I co-chair, along with two PT Ministers, the Committee of FPT Ministers Responsible for EM. Together we exchange EM knowledge; foster cooperation and communication; and collaborate on a series of initiatives to strengthen Canada’s resilience to the wide range of risks which we collectively face.
• We are supported by senior officials from across our respective governments and emergency management organization. 

Emergency Management Framework

• The Emergency Management Framework for Canada (The Framework) is a cornerstone document which guides the close collaborative work of federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) governments.
• The Framework represents the common FPT approach to EM across Canada and describes the sharing of EM responsibilities among FPT governments, as well as with their respective EM partners, recognizing that all stakeholders must work collaboratively in order to ensure the effectiveness of the EM system.

EM Strategy

• Recognizing the growing risk of disasters, FPT governments worked closely together to develop and publish the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada in 2019.
• This Strategy supports FPT governments' vision to strengthen Canada's EM capabilities to prevent/mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, in order to reduce disaster risk and increase the resiliency of all communities in Canada.
• To reach this goal, the EM Strategy adopts a whole of society approach across all hazards, including public health and climate emergencies.
• In articulating the five FPT Priority Areas, the Strategy focuses on building national readiness and outlines a path toward a more resilient future for Canada by 2030.
• The Strategy will be supported by a series of Action Plans, which outline shared priorities and tangible actions across all four pillars of emergency management: prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
• The first Interim Action Plan was released this year (2022) and sets the stage for future plans which will be built on sustained dialogue, active participation and ongoing discussions among all partners.

Emergency Preparedness

• My department continues to work in collaboration with other federal departments and levels of government to strengthen national emergency preparedness, through planning, support to training, exercising and testing of EM arrangements and plans, and sharing lessons learned.
• These efforts, taken prior to an emergency, help support event response, contribute to the reduction of disaster impacts and identify opportunities for future prevention and mitigation efforts.

The Role of the Federal Government During Emergencies

Emergency Management Act

• The Emergency Management Act is the foundational document guiding the Federal Government’s EM activities.
• This Act recognizes the roles that all stakeholders must play in Canada's EM system, and sets out the leadership role and responsibilities of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, including coordinating EM activities among government institutions and in cooperation with the provinces and other entities.
• Under the Act, all federal ministers are responsible for developing emergency management plans in relation to risks in their areas of accountability.

Public Safety Canada’s Role in Managing Emergencies

• Public Safety Canada maintains a network of partnerships with other federal government institutions, provincial and territorial EM organizations, first responders and voluntary organizations, and other stakeholders and communities, supporting a whole of-society approach to EM that leverages resources and capacities at all levels across the country.
• The Government Operations Centre (GOC), housed at Public Safety Canada, is a Government of Canada asset which supports response coordination across the federal government in collaboration with provinces and territories and other key players.

Role of the Government Operations Centre

• The GOC monitors emerging events for situational awareness, and in case there may be a request for federal assistance (RFA) from a PT.
• PTs make an RFA when it is determined that such a resource is not available locally or regionally, and they always request a capability (rather than a specific asset).
• The GOC works closely with the PTs through the Federal Coordination Group, led by the Public Safety Regional Office, in formulating the RFA.
• Should assistance be required from the federal government, the GOC would work with federal departments, other PTs, the private sector, NGOs, or other partners to identify a source for the requested capability.
• Support from DND/CAF would be coordinated through an official request from the Minister of Public Safety to the Minister of National Defence.

Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP)

• The overarching federal plan for responding to an emergency event is the Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP).  It is used to manage both domestic emergencies, as well as international events when domestic coordination support is required.
• The FERP is used in various cases, including when an emergency impacts multiple jurisdictions and/or government departments, and when aspects of the national interest are affected.
• The FERP harmonizes federal emergency response efforts with those of provinces and territories, NGOs, and the private sector, and allows for horizontal and vertical integration of effort throughout the federal government in response to an emergency.
• It identifies primary departments/agencies that have the policy and legal mandate in their area of responsibility, as well as supporting departments/agencies who provide generalized or specialized assistance to a primary department in response to an emergency. For example, the Canadian Forces are often called upon to act as a supporting organization.

If pressed …

Emergencies with National Security Implications

• Dealing with national security emergencies will inherently use the same resources as any all-hazards emergency. Municipal and provincial first responders will undertake their normal activities, particularly in the consequence management phase of the emergency.
• Unlike other emergencies where the municipalities and provinces have the leading role to respond, the federal government plays the lead role in responding to these types of events.
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police would lead the response to such an emergency and subsequent criminal investigation, with the support of the federal security and intelligence community and in collaboration with municipal/provincial police services. They can also call upon the Canadian Forces for specialized assistance.

International Emergencies

• Global Affairs Canada is mandated to provide leadership for the Government of Canada during an international crisis. The department brings together an Interdepartmental Task Force made up of the relevant departments/agencies and non-governmental organizations to manage the situation. 
• Public Safety Canada may be called upon, via the Government Operations Centre (GOC), to assist in an international situation that has domestic ramifications requiring a whole-of-government response. The GOC would play a role in coordinating interdepartmental consultation and coordination of all departments required. For example, the GOC played a critical supporting role in the operation to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada.
• The GOC does not take on responsibility of other departments or agencies to deliver on their mandate.

Nuclear Emergencies

• The Government of Canada has the Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan (FNEP), which is an annex of the Federal Emergency Response Plan.
• The FNEP leads in the first instance on radiological and nuclear-related events and brings together experts from across the federal government to help deal with any type of nuclear emergency.
• Several Departments/Agencies have capabilities and/or responsibilities linked to the Canadian effort of nuclear emergency management domestically and internationally.
• The FNEP defines at which point the FERP is activated. The FNEP response level will be assigned based on factors such as the nature, magnitude, progression and location of the event, the actual or potential impacts on Canadians, and the need for broader operations.
• FNEP response levels will be established by Health Canada in response to triggers and in consultation with Public Safety Canada/Government Operations Centre and other relevant authorities.

Recovery from Disasters

• The Government of Canada supports the efforts of communities to recover from emergencies.
• The traditional funding mechanism available to provinces and territories is the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA), which provides financial support in the event of a large-scale natural disaster where response and recovery costs exceed what individual provinces and territories could reasonably be expected to bear on their own.
• Other types of emergencies can trigger various types of federal funding, and governments at all levels will continue to collaborate to remain agile and prepared to support Canadians in the event of any type of potential emergency.

Background:

In Canada, emergency management (EM) adopts an all-hazards approach to address both natural and human-induced hazards and disasters. These are increasing in both number and frequency across the world, resulting in ever growing human suffering and economic cost. Canada is not immune to these events, and the risk environment continues to evolve as the country faces growing impacts of climate change and faces uncertainties caused by international events which impact the global security landscape.

EM Governance

The Canadian EM system adheres to a bottom-up, decentralized model of governance, whereby responsibilities over mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery are distributed among Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) governments. The core functions of EM (e.g. legislation, planning, operations, policymaking) are therefore delivered by an interdependent network of F/P/T departments/agencies, each operating in their respective jurisdictions.
The Government of Canada plays a crucial role in helping Canadians and their communities protect themselves from emergencies and disasters related to all kinds of hazards – natural, human-induced, and technological. When an emergency overwhelms the response capacity of the P/Ts, affects multiple areas of authority, and/or involves federal assets or national interests, the federal government is expected to intervene and coordinate the delivery of essential assistance. There is a well-established process to address requests from assistance that may come from PT governments.

FPT Collaboration

Since 2007, Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) collaboration in EM has been guided by an Emergency Management Framework for Canada (EM Framework), which was last updated in 2017. The EM Framework describes the sharing of EM responsibilities among FPT governments themselves, as well as with their respective EM partners (including but not limited to: Indigenous peoples, municipalities, communities, volunteer and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, critical infrastructure owners and operators, academia, and volunteers).

Guided by the EM Framework (2017) and in collaboration with provinces and territories, PS led the publication of the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a Resilient 2030 (EM Strategy)in 2019. The EM Strategy seeks to align the efforts of all Canadians, as well as to strengthen overall resilience through five priority areas of activity. These priority areas of activity were approved by FPT Ministers responsible for EM and are:

1. Enhance whole-of-society collaboration and governance to strengthen resilience;
2. Improve understanding of disaster risks in all sectors of society;
3. Increase focus on whole-of-society disaster prevention and mitigation activities;
4. Enhance disaster response capacity and coordination and foster the development of new capabilities; and,
5. Strengthen recovery efforts by building back better to minimize the impacts of future disasters.

After approving the EM Strategy, FPT Ministers Responsible for Emergency Management directed the Senior Officials Responsible for Emergency Management (SOREM) to develop and advance a series of Action Plans to advance the implementation of the Strategy. SOREM represents the collection of FPT government organizations who lead emergency management efforts on behalf of their respective jurisdiction.  The 2021-22 FPT Interim Action Plan was released in March 2022, and builds off of the momentum created by the Strategy and details shared priorities and activities across all four pillars of emergency management: prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Federal Roles

Emergency management is a core responsibility of the Government of Canada and a collective responsibility of all government institutions.

Pursuant to the Emergency Management Act, PS has the legislative mandate to build a safe and resilient Canada by providing national leadership in EM in the development and implementation of policies, plans and a range of programs. The Department houses the Government Operations Center (GOC), which works to provides an integrated federal emergency response to all-hazards events (potential or actual, natural or human-induced, accidental or intentional) of national interest.

Despite being situated within PS, the GOC operates on behalf of the Government of Canada and is an asset for the entire federal government. The GOC supports in coordinating the federal response to provincial or territorial requests for assistance (RFAs) to address local or regional emergencies and provides 24/7 monitoring and reporting, national-level situational awareness, warning products and integrated risk assessments, as well as national-level planning and whole-of-government response management. The GOC has established an RFA Secretariat to receive, evaluate, and prioritize all RFAs. The GOC convenes consultation with implicated departments to review RFAs, as required.

When the emergency involves a First Nation (FN) community, FN leadership, depending on relevant emergency management agreements, will work in collaboration with their PTs and/or Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) or regional officials, to assess the emergency and propose a response.

Federal Response Management

Pursuant to the Emergency Management Act, all federal ministers are responsible for developing EM plans in relation to risks in their areas of accountability. All departments/agencies work within their own scopes, fostering the skills and expertise necessary to fulfill their mandates to the public. In the event of an emergency, these capabilities may be redeployed to assist in response and recovery.

The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is responsible for coordinating emergency management activities among government institutions and in cooperation with the provinces and other entities and is supported by the GOC who directs their mobilization, as described by the Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP).

The FERP is the Government of Canada’s all-hazards response coordination plan, and is implemented when the scope, scale or importance of an emergency event requires an integrated federal government response. It addresses domestic emergencies and international emergencies with a domestic impact and is limited to near-term response preparedness; immediate response efforts; and early recovery arrangements.

The FERP defines the approach, processes and requirements for coordination of an all-hazards federal event response. Other federal response plans are in place to address specific requirements related to national security, international events, pandemics and related large-scale events with potential major impact.  For example, the Government of Canada has the Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan (FNEP), which is an annex of the FERP. The FNEP brings together experts from across the federal government to help deal with any type of nuclear emergency. It is led by the Minister of Health. These types of plans refer to the FERP as required to support coordination of event activities as required.

In most cases, federal government institutions manage emergencies with event-specific or departmental plans based on their own authorities and capabilities. While federal government institutions may implement these plans during an emergency, they must also implement the processes outlined in the FERP in order to coordinate with the broader Federal Government’s emergency response. The scope of an emergency will determine the role of federal government institutions.

Emergency Support Functions

Emergency Support Functions provide the mechanisms for grouping certain functions. Specifically, these are the functions most frequently used in providing federal support to PTs or assistance from one federal government institution to another during an emergency.

Emergency Support Functions are allocated to government institutions in a manner consistent with their mandate (see Annex A for the list of functions). They include policies and legislation, planning assumptions and concept(s) of operations to augment and support primary departmental programs, arrangements or other measures to assist provincial governments and local authorities, or to support the GOC in order to coordinate the Government of Canada’s response to an emergency.

One or more Emergency Support Functions may need to be implemented, depending on the nature or scope of the emergency.

Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan

In non-emergency situations, the FNEP is maintained at a routine preparedness level, including standard monitoring and other preparedness functions. 

The FNEP describes three levels of heightened response, ranging from enhanced monitoring activities through to a full-scale technical response. Levels 1 through 3 are consistent with the response levels under the FERP.

In most cases, the response levels of the FNEP and FERP will be identical during a nuclear emergency.  However, subject to the specific circumstances of the emergency, the trigger to raise the response level of the FNEP and establish the FNEP technical assessment group may be made prior to, concurrently with or following decisions of the FERP response level (for example, in the case of concurrent emergencies, emergencies abroad, or situations that have started as a non-nuclear emergency).

As with the FERP, the FNEP response level will be assigned based on factors such as the nature, magnitude, progression and location of the event, the actual or potential impacts on Canadians, and the need for broader operations. FNEP response levels will be established by Health Canada in response to triggers and in consultation with PS/GOC and other relevant authorities.

Annex A

Date modified:

2023-03-14