PACP Committee News Release
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Standing Committee on Public Accounts |
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6 |
Comité permanent des comptes publics |
For immediate release
NEWS RELEASE
KEY GAPS REMAIN IN FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Ottawa, April 28, 2010 -
Almost seven years after its creation, Public Safety Canada faces a number of management challenges in coordinating the federal government’s response to emergencies, according to a report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts presented to the House of Commons today.
In the fall of 2009, the Office of the Auditor General released an audit examining how Public Safety Canada carried out its responsibility to lead federal emergency management. The audit found that the department had not yet developed policies that would help clarify its leadership role, had only developed a draft strategy to protect Canada’s critical infrastructure, had made slow progress in developing a cyber security strategy, and had directed little or no funding to helping first responders acquire equipment that would allow communications interoperability.
In its report, the Public Accounts Committee was pleased to note that the government has formally approved the Federal Emergency Response Plan. However, the Committee was concerned that Public Safety was unable to utilize one third of its budget for emergency management, had significant staff turnover in this area, and had been unable to lead the development of national standards for emergency equipment.
As Public Safety had not made satisfactory progress in addressing recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General in 2005, the Committee indicated that it intends to closely monitor Public Safety’s progress to ensure that it has the capacity to lead and to coordinate the federal government’s emergency management measures.
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