Parliamentary Committee Notes: Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s Report 3
Proposed Response:
- Public Safety thanks the Office of the Auditor General for the report and accepts the recommendations.
- Since 1991, the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program has provided cost-matched funding to support access to dedicated, culturally responsive policing services in First Nations and Inuit communities.
- The Government of Canada recognizes that it needs to do better. The recommendations come at a fitting time, as Public Safety Canada has been exploring ways to improve the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program in collaboration with provinces and territories and First Nations and Inuit communities.
If pressed on next steps:
- Public Safety officials are already engaging with provincial and territorial partners and with the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program funding recipients to develop a and implement an action plan that will address the recommendations of the Auditor General.
If pressed on updating the 1996 First Nations Policing Policy:
- Updating the 1996 First Nations policing policy will be informed by the process that Public Safety has undertaken with provinces and territories and with First Nations and other key partners to co-develop First Nations police services legislation that recognizes First Nations policing as an essential service.
- In 2024-25, Public Safety will also be working with provinces and territories of jurisdiction and the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program funding recipients to propose improvements to the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program’s terms and conditions.
- Proposed changes will align with the shared interest of ensuring that First Nations and Inuit communities have access to culturally-appropriate policing services which are, at minimum, equitable to the policing services available to other communities with similar conditions in the same region.
If pressed on equitable funding/revising the funding allocation process:
- As the federal role in supporting policing and community safety in First Nations and Inuit communities is that of a funder, Public Safety will continue to work in collaboration with provinces and territories of jurisdiction with respect to what initiatives are funded and how overall federal funding is allocated across jurisdictions, based on the 52% federal – 48% provincial/territorial cost-sharing model.
- As we move forward, it is clear that needs and priorities are different across the various jurisdictions.
- Federal funding will continue to be responsive to these needs and priorities, but the funding allocation process will also be driven by the readiness of provinces and territories to commit their share of funding to specific initiatives or overall multiyear strategies that support improved policing and community safety outcomes in First Nations and Inuit communities.
If pressed on a mechanism to track demand per jurisdiction:
- Informed by ongoing collaboration to co-develop First Nations police services legislation that recognizes First Nations policing as an essential service, Public Safety will continue working with provinces and territories to forecast how best the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program can address evolving demand for the program.
- This will include not only active discussions about program demand by jurisdiction, but also whether current programming streams should be adapted in response to this demand and in better deliver measurable results.
If pressed on engagement with program recipients:
- With the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program now being delivered by a new Indigenous Affairs Branch, Public Safety will be prioritizing more proactive communications and engagement with the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program funding recipients. Public Safety will also be implementing a new series of mandatory training requirements for staff working on the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program, including community familiarization and cultural competency training.
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will continue to make community-specific cultural awareness training a key part of regular member onboarding, and will aim to implement enhanced measures to monitor these activities internally.
- Public Safety will also ensure Royal Canadian Mounted Police is included in discussions with provinces and territories regarding their local Royal Canadian Mounted Police vacancy patterns, ensuring the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is well positioned to meet any First Nations and Inuit Policing Program commitments.
If pressed on collaboration between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Public Safety:
- Public Safety and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police intend to continue to collaborate to improve service delivery and to address the recommendations provided in the Auditor General’s report on the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program.
- This includes working together to support updated performance measurement and reporting, and will aim to implement a framework by the end of 2024/2025.
If pressed on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police action plan:
- The RCMP will be delivering its action plan in response to the OAG report in the coming months.
Background:
The Office of the Auditor General tabled a report on the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program in March 2024 which, among other things, is critical of Public Safety’s financial management of the program and found that the department as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police did not work in partnership with Indigenous communities to provide equitable access to the Program.
Public Safety of Canada is working actively with various partners to strengthen federal funding supports for safer Indigenous communities in a manner that respects the jurisdiction of provinces and territories over policing. The audit findings are informing Public Safety’s ongoing collaboration and partnership with provinces and territories, law enforcement agencies - including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - as well as First Nations and Inuit communities to strengthen the strategic focus and measurable impact of the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program initiatives.
The Office of the Auditor General Recommendations
The Office of the Auditor General made the following recommendations:
3.48 Given the long-standing issues with the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program, and given the federal government’s commitment to truth and reconciliation, Public Safety Canada should work with First Nations and Inuit communities, the provinces and territories, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to develop and implement a renewed approach to the program. This approach should include:
- updating the 1996 First Nations Policing Policy.
- immediately revising the current funding allocation process so that it allows for the timely funding to recipients, the disbursement of program funds, and the achievement of the department’s commitment to equitable funding. The revision should take into account the timing of provincial and territorial funding as well as solutions to disburse federal funds available when provinces and territories are unable to secure their share of the funding.
- developing a mechanism to track the interest, needs, and demand for the program by jurisdiction. The information collected should be used to inform future funding requests and equitable allocation for the program.
- working in partnership with program recipients in a consistent and meaningful manner. Engagement by department officials should be supported by monitoring and feedback, mandatory cultural training, and guidance on the nature, timing, frequency, and expected measurable outcomes of engagement.
- updating performance measurement and reporting so that the department, provinces and territories, and First Nations and Inuit communities know whether the program is achieving its intended results and outcomes and so that the department can make adjustments as needed. This approach should be culturally sensitive and include collecting, monitoring, analyzing, and reporting performance data that is distinction based and intersectional.
3.58 Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in collaboration with First Nations and Inuit communities and with provinces and territories, should collaborate before new and renewed community tripartite agreements are signed to determine what is possible to offer to communities on the basis of resource capacity.
Action Plan
The Indigenous Affairs Branch within Public Safety Canada is leading the drafting of the preliminary action plan to address the Office of the Auditor General recommendations.
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