Good morning. I'll be brief.
I'm Mark Potter, director general responsible for policing policy at Public Safety Canada. I'm joined by my colleague, Hélène Filion, comptroller at the department.
Overall, for the G-8 and G-20 summits, Public Safety Canada played three roles: first, coordinating emergency management activities; second, coordinating public communications activities with partners on issues related to security and public safety; and third, managing the application of the security cost framework policy. The department's main responsibility was the third role of managing the application of the policy.
In order to understand Public Safety's role in managing the security cost framework policy, it is important to understand both the policy itself as well as the broader context of providing security for the summits.
The RCMP is the lead agency responsible for policing and security for Prime Minister and minister-led international meetings held in Canada. For such events, the RCMP and CSIS conduct threat assessments and determine if there is a requirement for extraordinary security measures. If it is determined that extraordinary security measures are required, and the involvement of provincial and municipal security partners is necessary to provide the appropriate level of security, the Minister of Public Safety may recommend to the Prime Minister, along with the host minister, that the event be designated under the policy.
The summits were designated by the Prime Minister and this permitted the reimbursement, through contribution agreements, of eligible expenses incurred by provincial and municipal security partners.
Given the comprehensive security requirements of these events, jurisdictional responsibilities for policing, and the limited resources of the RCMP, the cooperative participation of provincial and municipal security partners is vital.
For the G-8 and G-20 summits the eligible partners were the Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police, North Bay Police Service, Town of Huntsville, District of Muskoka, and Township of Lake of Bays.
Under the authority of the policy, Public Safety Canada officials took several steps to review partners' cost estimates. First, the terms and conditions of the policy were conveyed to the partners as the framework within which they could develop their cost estimates. Once estimates were received, they were reviewed and challenged to ensure that security partners pursued a reasonable cost approach.
Throughout this process of reviewing estimates, discussions were also undertaken with the RCMP to ensure that such estimates were consistent with the overall security plan. These activities took place over several months leading up to the summits.
Based on the estimates developed by provincial and municipal security partners, funding requirements totalling $278 million for the application of the policy were approved through the supplementary estimates process. Of this amount, $276 million was to fund the contribution agreements with partners, while the remaining $2 million was to administer the policy, primarily the conducting of audits. The majority of the partners' estimated costs were for police officers' salaries, accommodation, food, and equipment.
Although some interim payments have been made, final claims for actual costs incurred have not yet been received. As per the terms and conditions established in the contribution agreements, all claims are to be received no later than December 1, 2010.
To ensure compliance with the policy, independent audits will be performed on all claims before payments are issued. Once the audits are completed, Public Safety Canada will be in a position to confirm the total amounts reimbursed. The goal is to complete this process by March 31, 2011.
We appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today. My colleague and I would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.
Thank you very much.