Accelerate work to address financial crime and establish Canada Financial Crimes Agency
Gang prevention and intervention program
Introduce legislation to eradicate forced labour from Canadian supply chains
Engage with provinces and territories to enact Clare’s law
Explore adjustments to the Security Infrastructure Program
Bolster the security of Ministers and Parliamentarians
Proposed Response:
Overarching message on progress and priorities
Public Safety Canada is actively working to support the safety of Canadian communities, including supporting vulnerable communities, and addressing areas of growing concern.
The Government is taking action to address financial crimes, reduce gang involvement, support communities who are at risk of hate-motivated crime feel safer, reduce the risks of domestic violence and ensure that parliamentarians are safe as they deliver Canada’s democracy.
Accelerate work to address financial crime and establish Canada Financial Crimes Agency
Public Safety Canada is working to strengthen Canada’s ability to fight financial crime, in partnership with other federal organizations in the federal Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing (AML/ATF) Regime.
The Government recently made legislative changes to give police more tools to tackle money laundering and other financial crimes, including:
Criminalizing the operation of unregistered money services businesses;
Introducing a new criminal offence against structured financial transactions;
Giving police the ability to freeze and seize virtual assets with suspected links to crime; and
Improving financial intelligence information sharing between police and the Canada Revenue Agency, and police and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).
The Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act 2023 (C-59), which is currently at second reading in the House of Commons, proposes additional legislative improvements to help Public Safety Canada and the Regime partners prevent financial crime, including:
Enhancing the ability of the Canada Border Services Agency to detect, deter, and disrupt trade-based financial crime; and,
Amending the money laundering offence in the Criminal Code to improve our capacity to prosecute third-party money launderers.
Budget 2023 announced the intention to launch a Parliamentary Review of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act this year, which will play an important role, and inform the Government’s efforts to continue to reinforce integrity of Canada’s financial sector.
Public Safety Canada hosts an annual Spin Cycle Anti-money Laundering conference, which brings together federal, provincial and other public sector officials committed to the fight against financial crime. At our most recent conference in late February 2024, there were over 1,300 attendees both virtually and in-person.
PS also hosts a Knowledge Hub Portal on its website for professionals to access training resources needed to do their work.
PS continues to lead efforts to establish a Canada Financial Crimes Agency (CFCA), working closely with federal partners and in consultation with provinces, territories and other stakeholders.
Gang prevention and intervention program
Since 2018, the Government of Canada has invested more than $1.3 billion to reduce gun and gang violence. The Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence is a key component, focusing on investing in communities, enhancing federal law enforcement capacity and enhancing federal leadership in addressing gun and gang violence.
After an initial investment of $356.1 million from 2018-2023, the Initiative was renewed for five years. To support communities, $390.6 million is allocated to the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund to provinces and territories and $10 million to the Youth Gang Prevention Fund.
In support of federal law enforcement, $8.2 million of funding is allocated over 5 years to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for intelligence, interception of illegal firearms, and providing tools and training to prevent entry of illegal commodities.
The Canada Border Services Agency also receives $92.3 million over seven years to engage in cross-border law enforcement activities.
Public Safety is allocated $9.5 million to lead development of a national strategy to reduce gun and gang violence, improving data collection and research related to gun and gang violence, as well as engagement with a range of stakeholders across the country.
In addition, the Building Safer Communities Fund was announced in March 2022, with $250 million in funding directly to municipalities and Indigenous communities to support local initiatives that prevent gun and gang violence and help young people make good choices.
Introduce legislation to eradicate forced labour from Canadian supply chains
As committed to in Budget 2023, I am supporting the Minister of Labour to introduce legislation in 2024 to help eradicate forced labour from Canadian supply chains, and ensure that Canadian businesses operating abroad do not contribute to human rights abuses. This legislation will be strong, effective, and enforceable.
In the meantime, former Bill S-211, The Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act, received Royal Assent in May 2023, and came into force on January 1, 2024.
The Act requires certain entities and government institutions to report to me, as the Minister of Public Safety, by May 31 of each year on the steps they’ve taken to address forced labour and child labour in their supply chains. As stipulated by the legislation, I am responsible, as Minister of Public Safety, to submit an annual report to Parliament summarizing all reports received.
The Act also expands the Customs Tariff prohibition of the importation of goods produced by forced labour to also include child labour.
The Act aims to increase industry awareness and transparency and drive businesses to improve practices.
It is a good first step but we know more needs to be done, which is what we intend on doing through government legislation.
If pressed on how the government will ensure entities comply with the reporting requirements under former Bill S-211:
The goal of this legislation is to increase industry awareness and transparency about forced and child labour. The government will focus initially on raising awareness and promoting compliance with the reporting requirements.
In the short and medium-term, an incremental approach to implementation will be pursued in order to increase awareness of the reporting requirements, build operational knowledge for reporting entities, and establish engagement mechanisms with them to improve reporting information over time.
If pressed on how new government legislation could enhance the forced labour import prohibition
The Minister of Labour, with support from me, as the Minister of Public Safety, among others, have been mandated to introduce supply chain legislation, as well as strengthening the forced labour importation prohibition.
Given that both the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act and the eventual introduction of supply chain legislation led by ESDC impacts the forced labour importation ban, it will be important that the interaction between these two regimes is operationally effective and works in concert.
If pressed on the expansion of the forced labour import ban:
The CBSA will continue to work with ESDC to refine the way forward in both developing supply chain legislation and strengthening the forced labour import prohibition.
Engage with provinces and territories to enact Clare’s law
Clare’s Law is an important piece of legislation intended to reduce intimate partner violence by allowing for the disclosure of certain risk-related information to a current or former intimate partner or third party, such as a parent through provincially established processes.
Public Safety Canada has amended the RCMP Regulations to allow the RCMP to enforce Clare’s Law, and respect the federal privacy framework. These amendments came into force on April 1, 2021.
Ministerial direction was also provided to the Commissioner of the RCMP to ensure that the release of criminal record information by the RCMP to other law enforcement officials is consistent with provincial laws.
Public Safety Canada continues to collaborate and encourage provinces and territories to adopt Clare’s Law, and join efforts to end domestic violence.
Explore adjustments to the Security Infrastructure Program
Through the Security Infrastructure Program, the Government provides financial assistance to private, non-profit organizations to enhance the security of community gathering spaces that serve communities at risk of being targeted by hate-motivated crime.
The Government committed to exploring adjustments to the Security Infrastructure Program. Budget 2023 provided funding to eliminate barriers to participation, enhance program effectiveness and be more responsive to community needs. These proposed changes are being advanced as part of Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate.
Significant measures have already been put in place to increase access for communities. Some of these include:
Reducing the complexity of the application process;
Improving decision-making and payment processes;
Expanding allowable maximum project length; and
Creating a Severe Hate-Motivated Incident Support stream as an emergency response mechanism for organizations who have been victimized by hate-motivated incidents.
Additionally, in response to recent international events that have led many communities in Canada to fear for their safety, I announced an additional investment of $10M as a temporary measure under the program to support communities at risk of hate-motivated crime enhance the security measures at their gathering spaces on an urgent basis.
To ensure maximum flexibility for administering this funding, I also approved amendments to the Terms and Conditions of the program. Now, applicants may seek funding for time-limited security personnel, and for security measures at publicly accessible, community-based facilities such as daycares and office spaces.
Bolster the Security of Ministers and Parliamentarians
Threats towards Parliamentarians and public officials have grown in recent years and continues to be of major concern. Hate speech and violence are never tolerated in our society, and affront our values of peace and democracy in Canada.
It is essential to address these rising threats to public officials to help maintain trust and integrity of government institutions, which are crucial to Canada’s sovereignty, security, and prosperity.
Public Safety Canada continues to work closely with the RCMP, the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre (ITAC), and other key security and intelligence partners to take action and explore options to ensure a coordinated approach to assess and address threats against Ministers, Parliamentarians and public officials.
The RCMP has modernized it’s Protective Policing Program by streamlining intake of experienced recruits to build capacity in this important program.
In addition, ITAC is undertaking all threat assessments to increase awareness of the threat environment and to inform security measures.