Procedure and House Affairs Committee on April 11th, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

That's—

[C/Supt Mitch Monette]

It's not to bypass security; it's to bypass the screening.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

On September 22, was such a note provided to PPS for anyone?

[C/Supt Mitch Monette]

There was, yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

There were notes.

Would there be a list of those individuals?

[Matthew Ritchie, Associate Chief, Operations, Parliamentary Protective Service]

Through you, Madam Chair, typically, if there are any exceptions to be given to various people, whether it be for a parliamentary appearance or whatnot, it comes from the Sergeant-at-Arms office advising our teams, through an established procedure, that, for example, person X does not need to go through the detection. They would potentially be coming in through a different entranceway, not necessarily through the visitor welcome centre. They would typically be met at the entrance by the person who is expecting them. We take the direction from the Sergeant-at-Arms office.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Only...?

[Matthew Ritchie]

Exactly. If we've followed protocols, yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Thank you.

Ms. Gaudreau, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I have to say I was all ears when my colleague started talking about security. I've been an MP since 2019, and I feel that the atmosphere is changing dramatically. I feel safe, but when you compare our security with that of MNAs in Quebec, for example, there's still a long way to go.

Having said that, I'm happy to see all the changes that have taken place so far. I'm also very aware that sometimes the legislative element—which is a partisan game here—is missing, and we have to accept that. I'm concerned about that, because the security challenges are piling up faster than we can address them. I'm very worried about this, and it's on many people's minds. Maybe we'll take action when there's an urgent need to do so.

My question is about the whole security process. Preparations had to be made for President Zelenskyy's visit. Can you tell us what was done to prepare for the French Prime Minister's arrival? What's the procedure for ensuring adequate security when we receive a high-profile guest?

[C/Supt Mitch Monette]

Are you talking about a visit like today's?

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Yes.

[C/Supt Mitch Monette]

Okay.

There are very clear protocols. Typically, the host group, either Global Affairs or, in the case of members of the royal family, Canadian Heritage, notifies us of an upcoming visit. As soon as we receive notice, we organize meetings with all the partners involved in managing the visit. That may include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the RCMP, or other police forces.

These briefing meetings enable us to begin preparing for the visit and obtain all the necessary information as soon as possible. The more information we have about the plan and the itinerary, the better we can organize the visit. This also allows us to plan each step and each layer of security.

Once all those elements are in place and we know where the visit will occur, whether it's Parliament, where the infrastructure is already in place, or elsewhere, all we have to do is determine the level of security based on the threat. If the location is elsewhere, we call on all the relevant partners to ensure it goes smoothly.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

With regard to President Zelenskyy's visit, everything was done quickly and secretly. How do you handle that?

[C/Supt Mitch Monette]

For President Zelenskyy's visit, the security level was very high.

We have all the elements in place already. It's just a matter of putting them together and knowing how to deploy them quickly. The human resources aspect is complicated. For a major event, we don't have the local or specialized personnel needed to secure the location, so we have to get help from the RCMP, provincial police forces or other divisions.

Here in Ottawa, we're fortunate to have the RCMP C Division in Montreal, Quebec, and the O Division in Ontario. They're relatively close, and we often work with them when we're organizing major events. A lot of visits happen in the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto triangle, so we can help each other organize those visits.

It's all coordinated centrally. On the day of a visit, we use the RCMP command centre, a large room a bit like this one where all the staff and all the specialized protective services are located, as well as support staff and cameras. There's a central command structure to ensure the visit goes smoothly.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Let me back up a bit. It's my understanding that the Sergeant‑at‑Arms can ask that an individual be subject to the lengthy security check process.

Was Mr. Hunka the subject of such a request?

[C/Supt Mitch Monette]

You have to understand that what happens on the Hill stays on the Hill when it comes to these kinds of situations.

If there are security concerns, we can make an external request to find out if more thorough research is required. However, if no one raises a red flag and nothing comes up in terms of intelligence, we don't necessarily follow up.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

We sometimes see people getting agitated in the galleries. There's no way to know if these people are, shall we say, reacting spontaneously, even if they have gone through the whole security process.

What checks do you do?

[C/Supt Mitch Monette]

Do you mean a physical search?

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Yes, but a somewhat more extensive check for visitors who come here to the House of Commons.

[C/Supt Mitch Monette]

I can let Mr. Ritchie elaborate on that, but I will say briefly that in this case, exemptions had been granted. We had neither a first nor a second level of verification in place.

We sometimes implement a second level of verification before letting people into the gallery. However, in this case, to the best of my knowledge, we had not done so. We only intervene afterwards if something happens. We take it for granted that these are people who have been invited.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Does the fact that the atmosphere has changed in the galleries worry you? Should we try to find a balance?

As I'm out of time, I'll ask my question later.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Thank you.

Ms. Mathyssen, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I, too, want to thank you both for being here today, and also for the service you provide to us.

In terms of that temperature rising, I was a staffer here during the shooting. There's been quite a change over those years. I'm always so grateful that you're there at those doors and in our hallways. Thank you so much.

I know this is a weird question, and probably the hardest one to ask. On any given day, on average, how many events are run on the Hill?

[C/Supt Mitch Monette]

I guess there are all kinds of different levels of events. I will ask Matthew to respond.