Speech for
Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
to the Canadian Association of Police Boards
16th Annual Meeting and Conference
Ottawa, Ontario
Thank you. I am pleased to be here on behalf of Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
Since my appointment as Parliamentary Secretary to Anne McLellan last year, I have very much enjoyed my work and association with law enforcement stakeholders in Canada, and I look forward to a continuing positive working relationship with all of you.
Thank you for the invitation to be with you today.It is good to be here, and it is always good to talk with men and women who play an essential role in policing in Canada.
The dedication of police was brought into sharp focus after the shootings in Mayerthorpe, and in other communities where on duty officers lost their lives in the last year. As partners with the police, we stand with police in solidarity through difficult times. The Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and I were proud to stand by Commissioner Zaccardelli and the RCMP to pay tribute in Edmonton earlier this year to those lost in the line of duty.
Partnerships are ultimately what allow police to be effective. Partnerships enable better collaboration among all the portfolio agencies from emergency preparedness, law enforcement and corrections, to border services and intelligence activities. It's what our government wants to support, enabling police across Canada to help keep Canadians safe.
The theme of your conference is: "Best Practices in Police Governance", and we noted with interest the results of your research project on governance released at this conference. The results identify several common elements -- for example, a good relationship between the Police Board and its Chief of Police, and a similarly good relationship between the Police Board and its funding body, one that recognizes the responsibilities incurred and the work being performed.
We might say that a best practice that has helped guide us to where we stand today is integrated policing. I am going to talk about that in a moment, but first I want to talk about other issues that I know are of interest to you and your communities -- among them, the recent gun violence in Toronto, and the Government's efforts to curb the production and distribution of ethamphetamine. These are issues where ongoing communication and collaboration among all sectors of public safety are vital.
Gun Violence
While gun crime in Toronto is not a new issue, we are still concerned. Every death is one too many. The gun violence in Toronto is unacceptable. It is not a simple issue, and there are no easy answers.
Police and prosecutors have a primary role to play, but the federal government is working actively to assist. The RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency have been increasing their capacity to deal with gun trafficking and border enforcement and are enhancing their efforts with Toronto area investigations and with the United States authorities.
The Canada Border Services Agency is working to interdict guns at the border, stopping more than a thousand a year. We are adding more agents to the front lines, 270 more over the next five years in fact, with funding from the 2005 Budget. The CBSA will hire 11 new intelligence staff to help coordinate strategic assessments in Ottawa to work with the RCMP and police services in the regions. CBSA will also establish two regional intelligence positions in Toronto to coordinate efforts of enforcement services in dealing with cross border movement of crime guns.
There are complex causes here that need to be addressed. We are working on root causes through crime prevention programs. Through our National Crime Prevention Strategy initiatives we have supported 99 projects in three of the communities identified by the Toronto Mayor's Community Safety Plan as being at risk of violence. And if you count all funding for youth-related projects in the GTA since 1998, we have invested about $13 million in supporting crime prevention that address root causes and social development.
Our firearms program is assisting too. Police officers and other public safety officials use the Canadian Firearms Registry Online service about 3000 times each day to respond to calls, investigate offences and prevent crime. Firearms program information is also helping you to prosecute firearms crimes.
In May 2004, the Government of Canada announced it is investing $50 million over five years to strengthen law enforcement agencies' capacity to collect and share intelligence on firearms smuggling, trafficking and crime. We have invested over $10 million in the RCMP National Weapons Enforcement Support Team to help police organizations gather evidence to successfully prosecute criminals involved in the illegal movement and use of firearms. The RCMP also manages a valuable national ballistics information network with federal funding to help trace ballistics from crime scenes across our country. And they are going further with an agreement with the US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms to share information directly on investigations.
As my colleague, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler indicated to you yesterday - although we have strong laws in place we must always consider whether these laws are being effectively applied, and also whether they can be improved. I am committed to this task.
Drug Use
I am aware an issue of great interest to your association is methamphetamine, and the apparent increase in the use of crystal meth, especially by young people. An integrated approach from the government and from law enforcement is essential in dealing with the problem.
Under the Canada Drug Strategy, integrated teams made up of RCMP and local law enforcement were established in key areas across Canada to dismantle clandestine labs, and the organized crime groups behind them.
The government announced earlier this month that methamphetamine has been moved to Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, so that stiffer penalties can be applied for offences involving this drug.
In a wider context, the government has taken steps to deal with the use of drugs and driving by bringing back drug- impaired driving legislation to give police the authority to demand physical tests. Refusal of a driver to comply with a demand would be a criminal offense, punishable by the same penalty as refusing an alcohol breath test.
The government is also providing $6 1/2 million in funding to increase the number of officers trained in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing and drug recognition.
These initiatives are about saving and protecting lives, especially since we know that drug users are disproportionately involved in fatal accidents.
Integrated Policing
Key to our efforts, as I referred to earlier, is integrated policing. We already have excellent examples of teams that work together and across the country. Recent drug busts in June in Quebec, in which 300 agents of the RCMP, the Quebec provincial police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency arrested 34 people and made seizures worth $5 million in connection with marijuana trafficking are but one example.
Integrated policing could be described as police agencies from all jurisdictions working together at tactical, operational and strategic levels to provide seamless, effective police and law enforcement services that achieve the desired outcome of safety and security for Canadians.
The Government of Canada recognizes that integrated solutions have become almost a fact of life in modern policing. For example, the federal government has overall responsibility for national security issues, regardless of the nature of the threat. But we recognize that security starts with police and first responders who work on the front line.
Our national security policy is modeled on an integrated approach to address potential threats, and provides a framework within which the federal government works with other governments, as well as police forces, communities, the private sector and other countries.
Our support for integrated initiatives, such as expanding the RCMP's Integrated Border Enforcement Teams to 15 regions across the Canada-US border, and for RCMP Emergency Response Teams and RCMP-Coast Guard initiatives in the Great Lakes, also means that there is an enhanced federal presence in many communities and regions. An interjurisdictional Waterside Policing Coordination Team has been established to look at the responsibilities and resources of various police services involved in waterside policing.
I should add that cooperation and support between federal and local agencies is not limited to national security. Supervision of offenders and parolees in something that we take very seriously, and that is why we announced funding for Community Correctional liaison officers.
The Correctional Service of Canada has piloted the Community Corrections Liaison Officer (CCLO) program in three cities: Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton. These pilots have strengthened cooperation and information sharing between CSC and police, and have enhanced the capacity of both to successfully manage higher-risk offenders. As a result, CSC will create an additional 17 CCLO positions across Canada.
Greater collaboration between the Government and police will help us to keep breaches of parole conditions and re- offending by federal offenders low. This will result in the earlier apprehension of offenders who are unlawfully at large.
When it comes to integrated policing, the CAPB and other stakeholders have been key to our department's work in developing a way forward and a work plan based on concrete, short-term results. One possibility for future work is to take a look at the barriers to integration or to look at how to build on our collective experiences, such as recent police governance changes in Quebec, to identify and disseminate best practices. And, of course, any work plan would need to touch on key issues such as governance and accountability. Lawful access Now, to address an issue that I know is very near and dear to your heart.
Canada's lawful access laws were originally designed for rotary telephones - not cell phones or Internet communications. We recognize that the law enforcement community is at a disadvantage in trying to keep pace with tech-savvy criminals and terrorists. That's why the Government of Canada is updating this legal regime to ensure that the police have a modern legal framework to investigate crime in the digital age.
Since February of this year, officials have been consulting with police services and other key stakeholders on the proposals. We now look forward to moving ahead with these proposals in the fall.
Conclusion
These are just some of the steps that PSEPC and its partners are taking, but there remains more to be done. The government can take steps to review policies and amend laws, but ultimately the police on the front lines need the appropriate tools in place to protect and safeguard our communities. The coordinated efforts and actions of all levels of Government and law enforcement are what make all the difference.
The issues I have talked about today are just a few of the policing-related matters that the government and PSEPC are now working on. In all of this work, partnerships and collaboration among public safety and law enforcement officials and with the Canadian Association of Police Boards and other police representatives will continue to be crucial.
This integrated approach will be our roadmap and our guide whether we are dealing with organized crime, responding to natural disasters and other emergencies, or preventing terrorist attacks.
We will continue to update you on our progress on the issues I've outlined and on other emerging issues, just as you continue to bring forward your concerns so that we can tackle them together in a coordinated and integrated manner.
Thank you and all the best for the remainder of your conference.