PACP Committee Report

COORDINATION EFFORTS

Setting up a Chain of Command

According to the Auditor General, a coherent, coordinated and effective response to a CBRN threat depends on a clear chain of command based on clear roles and responsibilities. Currently, coordination efforts “suffer from the absence of an effective federal-provincial-territorial governance regime and from the absence of commonly agreed standards and priorities for the national emergency management system.”

In December 2003, the federal government passed the Emergency Preparedness Act which created a new department called Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) as a first step towards improving coordination both within the federal government and with other levels of government. The Act does not explicitly identify a leadership role for the Minister of PSEPC in the event of a national emergency.

PSEPC’s Deputy Minister, Margaret Bloodworth, told the Committee however that her department would begin consultations with stakeholders in late spring or early summer 2005 and aim to bring forward legislative changes by next winter, although she added that she could “easily see it slipping till next spring, depending on the degree of controversy and on whether significant events occur between now and then.” The Committee believes these amendments must be made as soon as possible. It therefore recommends:

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.

Eliminating Duplication

PSEPC is developing a new National Emergency Response System (NERS) that will standardize federal response plans and the links between these plans and those of the provinces, territories and municipalities. While the new NERS system is expected to receive Cabinet approval before summer 2005, the Auditor General believes it is also important for PSEPC to obtain support from all federal agencies involved in responding to national emergencies. The Committee endorses the Auditor General’s position and recommends:

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.

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Integrating Emergency Plans

Prior to December 2003 and the creation of PSEPC, different departments were responsible for different national emergencies. Health Canada, for example, was responsible for managing biological, radiological or nuclear emergencies, while Transport Canada was responsible for cleaning up transportation accidents involving the same materials. PSPEC is designed to coordinate these responses and assure their consistency.

According to the Auditor General, however, PSEPC and the individual departments have yet to develop a coherent and cohesive set of plans that could assure a coordinated federal response to a CBRN emergency. Moreover, “(o)fficials at PSEPC could not show us an inventory of departmental emergency response plans that could be activated in the event of a CBRN terrorist event” nor could they show how departmental plans would work together or with provincial plans in the event of a CBRN emergency. The Committee believes this coordination problem should be resolved as soon as possible. It therefore recommends:

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.

Standards for CBRN Equipment and Training

The Auditor General expected to find that PSEPC would have standards that guarantee the interoperability (i.e., compatibility) of CBRN equipment purchased by first responders at the provincial, territorial and municipal levels. These standards are needed to develop a national “surge capacity,” which is the capacity for one set of first responders in one part of the country to work with first responders from another part of the country. This “interoperability” requires compatible equipment and compatible skill sets. In other words, the equipment and the people from Alberta for example have to be able to work with the equipment and people from Québec.

The Auditor General found instead that, contrary to earlier promises, PSPEC had yet to develop national guidelines on equipment and training. As a result, Ms. Fraser “found a considerable variation in the capabilities of the CBRN equipment purchased and in the training required for its proper operation. These variations would translate into problems with interoperability and surge capacity.” The Auditor General added, however, that PSEPC had recently drafted a document that, amongst other things, aims to develop national equipment and training standards in conjunction with the Counter-Terrorism Technology Centre (CTTC) in Suffield, Alberta. The Auditor General also noted that PSEPC officials explained the delay in developing national standards by pointing to difficulties in setting international standards. The Committee believes interoperability is an important and urgent aspect of emergency preparedness and cannot wait for international standards. It therefore recommends:

RECOMMENDATION 8

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