Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 5th, 2017

[Heather Jeffrey]

Not that I'm aware of.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Not in the recent past...?

[Heather Jeffrey]

Not in my experience.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you. I appreciate that.

Did you want to answer that, Ms. Helfand?

[Lisa Helfand]

The only hypothetical instance in which we wouldn't offer consular services is if we thought we were putting our officers in danger. However, my experience is that any time that has been the case, we have found creative ways to offer consular services. I know of no cases for which we've denied any consular service.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

That's very helpful. Thank you very much.

A report providing detailed results of an evaluation of Canadian consular services and international emergency services management was published in November 2012. This report included four recommendations for improving consular services and international emergency management services.

Has the minister implemented the recommendations from that report?

[Lisa Helfand]

We've certainly worked since 2012 on improving consular services, looking at ways that we can improve what we're doing, on the case of mistreatment in particular. We have been constantly improving the system since 2012.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

One of the recommendations is that there be more collaboration between departments, and more communication. Is that something that since 2012 you have seen improve?

[Lisa Helfand]

We work extensively with other departments when necessary. I mentioned earlier, for example, the one point of contact for cases of abducted children. That's a network that we use. We reach out to other government departments quite often, for our complex cases in particular, so we have a very good network of contacts.

[Heather Jeffrey]

I'd just add that in the case of emergency response operations to mass consular events, we have a very elaborate network of dozens of government departments that we are working with to ensure we are able to bring Canadians home as quickly as we can.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

In general, in your opinion, especially given your expertise in these areas, what specific areas do you think there could be improvement on?

[Heather Jeffrey]

We're always looking at ways to improve what we do and we seek feedback directly for that purpose.

Our ability to reach out to Canadians through different tools and means is something we've been working on in terms of the digitization of our tools and our efforts to reach out, not just when we have an urgent or emergency event, but also in advance, ideally proactively, to keep Canadians out of harm's way. That's something we're working on continually, always looking at new ways and new vehicles as technology changes.

The other aspect we're continually working on is our international ties and links, our collaboration with other governments, because we need that international collaboration not just in an emergency response but also to collaborate with others who face the same challenges for their citizens in efforts to resolve, bilaterally, cases in different jurisdictions where we need the collaboration of foreign governments. We are prioritizing that continual work to expand that network of understanding.

[Lisa Helfand]

The other thing I would add is that we're also building our network with the provinces. We're unusual in that we are a service provider face to face in the Department of Foreign Affairs, but often have to interface with the social agencies in the provinces. That is an important network that we have been developing and will continue to develop.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Hélène Laverdière]

Thank you very much.

I would like to discuss two topics.

First, there are cases that have been dragging on for years. I am thinking of Mr. Maktal in Ethiopia, Mr. Celil in China, and the family of Joshua Boyle. I believe he, his wife, and family have been in Afghanistan for five years.

In these cases, is there a change in strategy as the file evolves? Is there any hope for these people? I am thinking of the Boyle family, which has been detained for five years now.

[Heather Jeffrey]

I won't speak about particular cases, but I will say that these complex cases that last for many years are so difficult for families. They're very difficult for those who are here and anxious about the well-being of their family members. They're difficult for the caseworkers, as well, who are very involved and in daily contact with these families, and all want a positive outcome.

We never give up hope. There is always a new avenue to try. There is always a new means of contact. Governments change in foreign countries. Their legal frameworks can adjust. Circumstances change. We are always alert and working with our missions on the ground to exploit any new opportunity or avenue to reach people.

These complex cases really show the importance of having an integrated response across Global Affairs Canada, and with our mission at work. It isn't just the consular service branch that is involved in resolving these consular cases. It's the whole network of other departments that bring their own expertise and resources to bear, and also within our department, the political and diplomatic advocacy and other resources we put in. We bring everything to bear in an effort to find an avenue to resolve cases.

We try different legal instruments. We try different approaches. We work with the clients, and with their lawyers in cases where detention is involved, to make sure we're exploiting every possible avenue. We never give up hope. We have long-standing relationships with the families in order to resolve these cases.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Hélène Laverdière]

Yes, in these very difficult cases of hostage takings, I understand that Global Affairs Canada works with the RCMP. Yet the RCMP does not always have jurisdiction in consular matters or in other countries.

I would like to add the following. Perhaps I am somewhat biased, but it is often the people from Global Affairs Canada who have a better understanding of the terrain, the context, the political actors, and the actors in civil society.

How is the relationship managed between Global Affairs Canada, the RCMP, and perhaps intelligence services in such situations? Are the roles clearly defined? Is there good cooperation?

Thank you.

[Mark Gwozdecky]

As I mentioned earlier on, we've had 20 such cases, unfortunately, over the last decade. In that time we've learned to work very well together with the RCMP, the military, and our intelligence services to refine how we approach these so-called critical incidents.

Not in every single case have we had a successful outcome. We've had some tragic outcomes, but in the vast majority there has been a safe release. We won't ever be satisfied until every single individual who's been abducted comes home safely.

As my colleague has mentioned, although we feel we work well together as the Government of Canada, we still can make things better. We are even today learning lessons from previous cases and trying to apply them, for example, to better support families who are going through trauma almost as acute as that of the individuals who have been abducted. There's more we can do to intensify our engagement with families, and that's just one example of the kinds of improvements we're constantly searching for.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Hélène Laverdière]

Thank you very much.

I have one last question about Hurricane Irma. I would like to get a better understanding of what happened in the days leading up to the hurricane.

I believe certain airlines flew people to the threatened islands a few days before the hurricane. Is it departmental procedure to contact airlines and inform them of the approaching hurricane before it hits certain locations? What preventative measures were taken before the hurricane hit?

[Heather Jeffrey]

Yes. This is definitely part of our process and something that we take seriously, because it is the best way, actually, of making sure Canadians aren't in harm's way. Our travel advisory program is monitored and updated on a 24-7 basis, and they're in direct contact with those agencies that are tracking storms and looking at the path.

As we update those advisories, they're pushed out and we are in communication with airlines and commercial carriers who use those as triggers for their emergency action plans, designed to pull Canadians out of harm's way. For example, for hurricane Maria, we saw over 6,000 Canadians depart via their commercial carriers from the Dominican Republic in the two days immediately prior to the arrival of that storm. That prevented Canadians from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Hélène Laverdière]

Airplanes were also leaving Canada two days before to go to these islands. We're almost out of time, but could you comment on that very briefly? Thank you.

[Heather Jeffrey]

Our advisory systems are designed to inform all Canadians, and they are used by the industry as well to look at areas of risk. They are also tracking these storms carefully. We can advise but we don't control what choices people make.

One of the issues with storms of this nature is that the exact track and path and the likely impact can shift very quickly. In some cases, in big islands, you can have a section of the island that's affected, while other sections remain unaffected. These are judgment calls that have to be made. We put out the advice and we advise Canadians when we think there is an elevated risk for them to travel, and we do that based on the scientific evidence we have and we work with carriers—

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Hélène Laverdière]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Sidhu.

[Jati Sidhu, Liberal, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Thank you, Madame Chair.

I like the approach, actually, of never giving up and believing better is always possible, and I commend you for it. You're doing a great job. Thank you for doing that.

We touched on the fact of a lot more Canadians travelling abroad and the aging population. We expect to have more people travelling abroad. Despite the encouragement from your offices, what percentage of Canadians register before they leave or are on the ground? Do we have the numbers?

[Heather Jeffrey]

I don't think I have with me the exact percentage of Canadians who register vis-à-vis the ones that travel. We'll have to look at that and get back to you in writing with the statistics on that figure.

[Jati Sidhu, Liberal, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

I don't know if I'm walking on the rights of Canadians, but some day would it be possible to introduce a piece of legislation to make registration mandatory? Would that help?