PACP Committee Report

RECOMMENDATION 1

That Transport Canada, the Canadian Air Transport Security Agency, and the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness indicate clearly whether they agree to each recommendation contained in Chapter 2 of the April 2005 Report of the Auditor General of Canada that pertains to them and produce an action plan outlining the implementation measures that they will take and when they will take them. These responses must be provided to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts no later than 30 September 2005.

RECOMMENDATION 2

That Transport Canada, the Canadian Air Transport Security Agency, and the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness incorporate Treasury Board’s Integrated Risk Management Framework into all aspects of security enhancement programs and activities prior to 31 December 2005.

RECOMMENDATION 3

That Transport Canada allocate the funds required to improve the accuracy of the data that was accumulated prior to April 2004 and is stored in its main inspection database.

RECOMMENDATION 4

That once Transport Canada has put in place system-wide performance measures to assess the work done by the Canadian Air Transport Safety Authority, the Department conduct an overall analysis of the effectiveness of its security systems within one year and take all appropriate corrective actions as needed. Transport Canada must submit a progress report to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts by 31 December 2005.

RECOMMENDATION 5

That Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada draft amendments to the Emergency Preparedness Act as soon as possible and table them in the House of Commons within one year in order to clearly define and ensure adequate powers and responsibilities for the Minister.

RECOMMENDATION 6

That the government, in cooperation with the responsible authorities, approve Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada’s new National Emergency Response System plan as soon as possible and that PSEPC obtain formal support for its new plan from other relevant federal departments and agencies.

RECOMMENDATION 7

That Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada work with the relevant departments, agencies and other levels of government to coordinate emergency response plans and report their progress in the annual departmental performance report.

RECOMMENDATION 8

That Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada draft standards now to ensure the interoperability of emergency response equipment and training.

RECOMMENDATION 9

That Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada provide the Standing Committee on Public Accounts with an action plan detailing what it will do to increase the number of first responders trained to respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies and that it report on its progress in its annual departmental performance reports.

RECOMMENDATION 10

That the Department of National Defence immediately resolve the serious command and control issues in the Joint Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Company and report on its progress in its annual departmental performance report.

RECOMMENDATION 11

That Health Canada should immediately resolve the legal issues that are blocking the creation of emergency response medical and smallpox teams and report on its progress in its annual departmental performance report.

RECOMMENDATION 12

That the Public Health Agency of Canada purchase items for the national emergency stockpile based on risk assessments and casualty scenarios and report on its progress in its annual departmental performance report. It should also improve its ability to transport and distribute supplies during emergencies and report on its progress in its annual departmental performance report.

RECOMMENDATION 13

That Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada report on its progress in developing a long-term plan and budget for the conduct of national exercises in its report on plans and priorities and in its departmental performance reports. PSEPC must also indicate how people are trained and how many training exercises it has conducted in its departmental performance report and reference key lessons drawn from these exercises.

RECOMMENDATION 14

That a joint committee of the Senate and House of Commons on security and intelligence be established as soon as possible.