Parliamentary Committee Notes: Funding for the Canada Community Security Program

Proposed Response           

• The Government of Canada takes the issue of hate-motivated crime very seriously. All Canadians, regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity, should feel safe where they live, work, gather and pray.
• To confront hate in all its forms, in September 2024, the federal government introduced Canada's first ever Action Plan on Combatting Hate. Budget 2024 provided $273.6 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with $29.3 million ongoing, to advance this Action Plan. This funding will support community outreach and law enforcement reform, tackle the rise in hate crimes, enhance community security, counter radicalization, and increase support for victims.
• As part of the Action Plan, Public Safety Canada received funding for the Canada Community Security Program (CCSP). Budget 2023 invested $49.5 million over five years in the CCSP, starting in 2023-24. Budget 2024 invested an additional $32.0 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with $11.0M in ongoing funding, bringing annual ongoing funding up to $17.4M (figures above include EBP, PSPC, SSC).
• The CCSP contributes to the Government of Canada’s efforts to help everyone feel safe in their community gathering spaces. The CCSP replaces and enhances the work undertaken by the former Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
• The CCSP provides time-limited funding to private, not-for-profit organizations that are at risk of experiencing hate-motivated crime. Eligible recipients include places of worship, provincially/territorially recognized private educational institutions, shelters for victims of gender-based violence, community centres, cemeteries, child care centres and office and administrative spaces.
• Public Safety Canada has designed the CCSP to be responsive to community needs. Under the CCSP:
  • Eligibility for funding has expanded to include office and administrative spaces, cemeteries, and child care centres.
  • Funding for time-limited third-party licensed security personnel is now eligible.
  • Up to 70% of a project's eligible costs may be covered, an increase from 50% of the cost under the SIP.
  • The maximum level - or stacking limit - of total government assistance (across federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal sources) has been removed, which opens up more opportunities for organizations to apply for other sources of funding.
  • Application requirements have been changed to reduce administrative barriers.
  • Organizations can apply for funding at any time throughout the year through a continuous intake process.
• Taken together, these measures will make it easier for organizations to fund their projects and protect their community gathering spaces.
• Funding for the Canada Community Security Program was announced in Budget 2023 and Budget 2024 and includes:
  • $16.0 million in 2024-25,
  • $16.0 million in 2025-26,
  • $11.0 million in 2026-27,
  • $11.0 million in 2027-28, and
  • $11.0 million in 2028-29 and ongoing.

Financial Implications

• This Supplementary Estimates B proposal is seeking to access a total of $14.9 million in budgetary expenditures, with a total of $3.5 million in Vote 1 and $11.4 million in Vote 5 appropriations. An additional $1.1 million is being accessed for centrally managed funds (e.g. employee benefit plans and accommodation costs)
• These funds will be used to support more projects with community organizations, fund the reduced cost–share requirement, and fund the new eligible expenses.

Background

In response to concerns raised by a number of communities across Canada regarding their vulnerability to hate-motivated crime, the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program was created in 2007 (renamed Canada Community Security Program (CCSP) in 2024). Public Safety Canada’s CCSP is designed to help communities at risk of hate-motivated crime by providing funding to make security improvements to their community gathering spaces. The CCSP is part of Public Safety Canada’s National Crime Prevention Strategy. Funding is available to private, not-for-profit organizations linked to a community at risk of being victimized by hate-motivated crime. Approved projects may receive up to 70 per cent of total project costs, to a maximum of $1.5 million per project.

Since the creation of this program, the Government of Canada has invested over $30.0 million in funding to over 770 projects. According to the 2017-2018 Evaluation of the National Crime Prevention Strategy, all funding recipients who were surveyed for the evaluation agreed that it had increased their sense of security and had reduced the incidence of hate-motivated crime at their facilities.

The most recent Call for Applications was launched on October 1, 2024. For this call, the CCSP is accepting applications through a continuous intake process. Applications are being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Enhanced demographic information is being collected, to better identify the communities that seek program funding and their vulnerabilities.

As a result of international and domestic events, there has been an increase in the number of hate crimes and hate incidents in Canada over the last year. These events include the Israel and Palestine conflict; the murder of a prominent Sikh Canadian in June 2023; and Sikh-Hindu tensions that have led to vandalism at Hindu temples in Canada. In response, the program has introduced changes to make the program more accessible and more broadly available to vulnerable groups and organizations.

These changes are:

• Eligible recipients expanded to include office and administrative spaces, cemeteries, child care centres. In addition, organizations may now apply for funding and deliver projects on behalf of affiliated eligible recipients.
• Time-limited security personnel are now an eligible expense.
• Up to 70% of eligible project expenses covered by Public Safety Canada (formerly 50%).
• Projects can now access funding from provincial, territorial or municipal program, as long as total government funding for the project does not exceed 100%.
• Continuous intake (formerly annual calls for proposals).
• Simplified application requirements.

Date modified:

2025-03-28