Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Chairman.
I'm Paul Roué, the director general of the emergency management bureau at DFAIT.
I'd like to take a few minutes to tell the committee a little bit about the work that DFAIT does when it comes to providing assistance to Canadians in emergency situations abroad and how we are organized to deliver those services. There's no doubt that Canadians are travelling, living, and working abroad in greater numbers today than ever before. As we have witnessed in recent years, this has meant that an increasing number of Canadians are finding themselves affected by emergency events occurring in far-flung corners of the globe.
DFAIT's Emergency Management Bureau was created in September of 2008 in large part as a response to this trend. Its mandate is to strengthen DFAIT's overall capacity, in terms of both expertise and infrastructure, to prepare for and respond to emergency events abroad.
While the bureau is meant to be the focal point for dealing with international emergencies that affect Canadians, we are by no means the only players. Other DFAIT divisions provide expertise in areas such as natural disasters. Other departments and organizations such as National Defence, the RCMP, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada are also involved.
Our colleagues in Canada's missions abroad are also key players. Our heads of mission and consular staff provide front-line service to Canadians who are affected by emergency situations of all types, whether natural disasters, civil unrest, public health crises, transportation accidents, or terrorist attacks.
The Bureau's mandate is to ensure that all available expertise and resources that can be brought to bear in the provision of emergency assistance are used in an effective and coordinated fashion for the purpose of ensuring the safety and security of Canadians.
We provide emergency assistance wherever and whenever required. In 2008-09, some 1,600 Canadians received emergency assistance in 26 separate incidents, including the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the airport closures in Bangkok, and the assisted departure of Canadians from Gaza. Our program is anchored in the principles and best practices of emergency management at the international level.
Our missions abroad are all required to develop and maintain a comprehensive set of contingency plans addressing the main risks that they and the local Canadian community are exposed to. They work closely with like-minded missions and conduct extensive outreach to local emergency management and public safety authorities in order to ensure their ongoing preparedness to face any type of emergency situation.
Our missions also have a number of tools that they use to keep in touch with Canadians in the area and provide them with up-to-date information and advice on evolving conditions. The registration of Canadians abroad is one such tool. In the event of an emergency situation, Canadians who register can easily be contacted by our missions and provided with the latest information as well as safety and security advice. Recently, ROCA has been used to distribute public health information regarding the H1N1 flu pandemic.
Our warden networks are another means by which Canadians are kept informed and engaged. These emergency coordinators are a key link between our missions and Canadians who live or work abroad, especially in more remote, less accessible locations.
The DFAIT operations centre here at headquarters is another important element of our service. This 24/7 operation is the key link back to Canada for Canadians who live and travel abroad. Emergency after hours calls to our missions are automatically redirected to the operations centre, where a consular officer is always available to offer Canadians some level of emergency consular assistance wherever and whenever they need it.
When it comes to emergencies, Canada also has a close working relationship with key partners. Chief among these are the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In response to ongoing situations, we collaborate closely and exchange information with these partners on a regular basis through weekly calls as well as on an ad hoc basis. As an example, Canada's partnership with Australia was instrumental in making possible the evacuation of Canadians from the island of Fiji after the coup in December 2006.
Finally, Canada also takes a leadership role among its partners when feasible and appropriate. In January 2009, Canada led the safe departure from the Gaza Strip of some 254 nationals from over 20 countries, including over 80 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Thank you.