Parliamentary Committee Notes: Speaking Notes For Tricia Geddes Deputy Minister of Public Safety
December 3, 2024
Ottawa, ON
Good morning Mr. Chair, Vice-Chairs and Committee members.
Thank you for inviting me to speak today about the Supplementary Estimates B for Public Safety Canada.
As my colleagues will be speaking about the estimates for their agencies, I will be speaking about the estimates for programs and activities that fall under the Department of Public Safety mandate.
The funding we are seeking today will allow our department to continue its vital work on the issues that are most important to Canadians including auto-theft, firearms, and community and indigenous policing.
To begin, we are seeking $45.8 million for Public Safety and the Canada Border Services Agency to combat auto-theft.
While the numbers in early 2024 showed a decrease of 17% in the number of auto thefts compared to the previous year, we know that criminal networks quickly adapt.
The funding we are seeking will allow us to adapt to changes and trends that we are seeing while continuing to bring the number of auto-thefts down.
Next, we know that Canadians are rightly concerned about the amount of gun crime in their communities.
We are seeking to access $32 million for the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program.
Building on the first phase of the program with businesses, which is set to launch in the coming weeks, these funds will enable the Program to enter into agreements and contracts to support the safe collection, transportation, and destruction of assault-style firearms held by individual gun owners.
This priority will help us to meet the commitment to removing assault-style firearms from our communities, while compensating lawful owners.
It is also aligned with the Mass Casualty Commission’s recommendation for the Government to reduce the number of prohibited semi-automatic firearms in circulation.
We are also seeking additional funding to make significant investments in policing, border enforcement, and community gang prevention strategies in order to reduce the number of guns entering our communities and the amount of gun crime in communities that are most at risk.
Another way we are working to keep our communities safer is through Canada's first ever Action Plan on Combatting Hate (the Action Plan).
The Action Plan includes the Canada Community Security Program (CCSP). This program replaces the Security Infrastructure, and 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.
The $14.9 million in budgetary expenditures will allow us to continue this work that has become so crucial, particularly in the face of hate crime that has increased due to geopolitical tensions.
Also related to hate crimes, we are seeking $5 million to Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate, the work for which is led by Public Safety’s Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence.
Finally, the Government of Canada is committed to working with provinces and territories of jurisdiction to support improved policing and community safety outcomes in First Nations and Inuit communities.
To that end, we are seeking $3.8 million for the expansion and support of Public Safety Canada’s Indigenous Secretariat, which does crucial work with our partners related to Inuit and First Nations policing in order to keep their communities safe.
Once again, thank you for inviting me to speak today to underscore the importance of funding to help fulfill Public Safety Canada’s mandate of keeping Canada secure for all.
Thank you.
- Date modified: