Parliamentary Committee Notes: Speaking Notes for The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Chair, Vice-Chairs and Committee members:
Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me to join you today.
It’s an honour to work with all of you on the many important issues that fall within my mandate. And I appreciate the invitation to say a few words about those issues today.
Colleagues, at this moment the strength of Canada’s public safety portfolio is being tested amidst an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment.
Right now, we are confronted with numerous geopolitical challenges that threaten to destabilize democratic nations and the global economy.
Notably, threats from China, Russia and Iran continue to threaten our national security. And the ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine could lead to further instability worldwide.
Amidst these threats to the current international rules-based order, Canadians must be reassured that they can still go to sleep soundly at night.
As the Government, it is our job to ensure that the safety and security of Canadians is protected at all times. And I wish to assure my colleagues here today, as well as all Canadians, that this remains our utmost priority.
Mr. Chair, today I wish to speak to a few priorities that I think highlight that, despite our charged environment, we’ve made substantial progress together.
As you’re aware, we continue to fight against foreign interference in our democracy and economy.
The Government has also made real progress to toughen our laws and protect communities from gun violence.
We’ve also made substantial progress to advance law enforcement reforms, including First Nations policing.
To fulfill our mandate and help us to carry out these priorities, Canada’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies continue to work around the clock to keep Canadians safe.
That is why it is also our priority to ensure that our agencies have the resources they need to perform their duties in service to Canadians……so that they can continue to defend our borders, police our communities and protect our democracy from foreign interference.
To complement the efforts of our national security and law enforcement agencies, we also continue to make investments that help to further counter violent extremism and address harms, such as hate and gender-based violence.
One such example is the recently-expanded Security Infrastructure Program, or SIP, which now has an additional $5 million available to provincial and territorial educational institutions, so they can make security enhancements.
Mr. Chair, I will now elaborate on how we are advancing these priorities.
Foreign Interference
The first is foreign interference.
We continue to fight against foreign interference, and we have consulted Canadians on a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry.
This registry would allow us to ensure transparency and accountability from those who represent foreign government interests.
As well, it would help protect communities that are frequently victimized by foreign interference attempts.
We have received positive support to proceed with a registry which has helped to inform its development.
Building on the success of the registry consultations, additional consultations were undertaken by Public Safety, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Department of Justice to examine other legislative tools to address the challenge of foreign interference.
This includes exploring amendments to the CSIS Act to ensure that Canada’s national security agencies are empowered with the ability to share threat information with a wider set of Canadian partners than the federal government; and ensure that CSIS has modernized authorities to be able to adequately protect Canadians and Canadian institutions in a digital world.
We also have a committee of parliamentarians and others reviewing the state of foreign interference in Canada’s federal electoral processes.
We invested $5.5 million to build the capacity of civil society partners to prevent disinformation, promote democratic resilience and raise awareness about foreign interference.
We’ve established a National Counter Foreign Interference Coordinator to enhance coordination within the Government of Canada, as well as outreach efforts with non-federal stakeholders. with Budget 2023 providing funding to set up the office.
That Budget also provides $48.9 million for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to protect Canadians from harassment and intimidation by foreign actors.
That funding will help to increase the RCMP’s investigative capacity and to cooperate more proactively with communities that are most at risk of being targeted.
Mr. Chair, these investments build on Budget 2022, in which the government committed $13.4 million to renew and expand the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism over the next five years to counter threats like these to our democracy.
And $12.9 million has been invested to establish a Research Security Center at Public Safety Canada, to protect Canadian research, while strengthening security measures at universities and research institutions.
These significant investments will help strengthen the Government of Canada’s capacity in its efforts to fight foreign interference.
They will protect our communities while ensuring they are part of the process.
And they will protect our democratic systems.
Malicious cyber activities targeting the cyber systems that underpin Canada’s critical infrastructure are a growing concern for individuals, businesses, and governments in Canada.
In June of 2022, we introduced Bill C-26, which is intended to protect the critical infrastructure that Canadians depend on for the necessities of their daily lives. If passed, this bill will help ensure that we keep the heat and the lights on even in the face of malicious cyber actors.
Protecting Communities from Gun Violence
Mr. Chair, on the topic of firearms, our Government has made real progress to toughen our laws and protect communities from gun violence.
We have a broad agenda to tackle this pressing public health and safety issue—an issue that intersects with gender-based violence, racism and other systemic challenges.
I’m grateful to this committee for its careful scrutiny of Bill C-21, our landmark firearms legislation.
It places responsible restrictions on some firearms used in Canada.
And it addresses various gaps in the law pertaining to gun crime, introducing a national freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns into law.
Outside of this Bill, the Government has brought into force common sense regulations such as strengthening business record-keeping, transport, and license verification.
Since 2016, the federal government has invested more than $1.3 billion in measures to address gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of gangs and criminals.
Those investments are working to crack down on gun smuggling at our border and increase the capacity of law enforcement and prosecutors to investigate gun crimes.
And in collaboration with our partners in the provinces and territories, we proudly continue to support the development of new gun and gang violence prevention and intervention initiatives.
Law Enforcement Reforms
Mr. Chair, the final priority I’d like to focus on today is the Government’s work with respect to law enforcement reforms.
Bill C-48, which received royal assent in December, responds to public safety concerns about Canada’s bail system, by addressing repeat violent offending involving weapons—making it more onerous for individuals charged with certain crimes to be released on bail.
Anyone charged with a serious violent offence involving a weapon and who had been convicted of a similar offence within the previous five years will have to prove why they should be granted bail—rather than require the Crown to prove why they should remain in custody.
Measures like these are important not just for ensuring safety but also for supporting victims of violent crimes.
And Correctional Service Canada is committed to a victim-centred approach when making decisions or recommendations regarding inmates.
They provide information and notifications to victims per section 26 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, and take victim considerations into account in case management recommendations and decision-making throughout the course of the inmate’s sentence.
And, most recently, CSC has established a Multidisciplinary Committee on Victims Services to explore how CSC provides services to victims of crime and how these may be strengthened.
CSC has also undertaken a review of its victim services policy to see how they can better serve victims and provide them with more timely information about the offender who harmed them.
I would also note that all members of the public may attend Parole Board of Canada hearings, and victims also have the right to read victim statements outlining the effect the crime has had on them or any safety concerns they may have, and to request that special conditions be placed on an offender’s conditional release.
Mr. Chair, colleagues: there is much more to do to ensure safety in our communities.
And I want to point to the need to making sure our law enforcement organizations have what they need to do their jobs.
The RCMP is currently facing an unprecedented need to recruit new and diverse members, at a time of labour shortages, rising crime rates and a complex operating environment.
I want to highlight that my department is working with the RCMP on an assessment of the RCMP contract policing program, in anticipation of the end of the current policing contracts.
The commitment to support access to professional, dedicated and culturally responsive services in First Nations communities is ongoing.
I am pleased that a framework recognizing First Nations policing as an essential service is already in co-development.
I believe this will set the path forward for the future of policing in Indigenous communities across the country, and will reinforce the Government’s commitment to reconciliation.
Colleagues, I’m deeply honoured to carry out the important mandate the Prime Minister has entrusted in me.
And I look forward to your continued advice and engagement in keeping our borders and institutions secure and our communities safe.
Thank you.
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