Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My name is Patrick Tanguy, I'm the Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for the Emergency Management and Programs Branch at the Department of Public Safety. I'm also responsible for the Government Operations Centre.
First of all, I want to give members an overview of the role of the Department of Public Safety and then discuss contingency planning.
Public Safety is responsible for providing leadership relating to emergency management in Canada and ensuring a coordinated response to events affecting the national interest, including terrorism as well as human-induced and natural disasters.
With regard to irregular migrations in particular, the government operations centre is the organization that coordinated the development of the national contingency plan, working closely with all federal partners, including Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, as well as our RCMP colleagues.
In 2004, following a wide range of emergencies, the government operations centre was created by the Government of Canada in order to provide a centralized, stable, 24-7 facility to coordinate and support a whole-of-government response to these events.
As such, the government operations centre is the principal means by which the Minister of Public Safety exercises a leadership role in establishing an integrated federal approach to emergency response as mandated in the Emergency Management Act. The mandate of the government operations centre is to support coordination of events requiring a national response involving multiple federal departments or agencies when a single department or agency does not have the required capability, capacity, and jurisdiction to do so.
It is—and it's really important to focus on this—an interdepartmental response-focused asset. The government operations centre is a key asset working with all departments. The GOC is charged with the following functions: to provide definitive national-level situational awareness to partners and senior decision-makers; to provide 24-7 watch and early warning for the government; and, in support of partners' mandates, to ensure a whole-of-government response capability to ensure the efficient use of the Government of Canada's strategic assets and, when offered, provincial and territorial assets.
This is the key asset for the minister's and for the deputy minister's community to get the mechanisms and advice to support their direction.
During operations, the governance of the Government Operations Centre is in accordance with the Federal Emergency Response Plan, which is the Government of Canada's all-hazards response plan, designed to harmonize federal emergency response efforts with those of provinces, territories, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
This Plan outlines the processes and mechanisms to facilitate an integrated Government of Canada response to an emergency.
Now I'd like to say a few words about contingency planning. Following the 2017 influx of asylum seekers, Public Safety Canada, in collaboration with other government departments, began contingency planning for a possible increase in irregular migrations. This resulted in the development of the national strategic response plan.
The plan is based on lessons learned and best practices derived from last year's influx of asylum seekers. Lessons learned included the need for an early decision on contracting and financial authorities, the establishment of a governance structure, and the early identification of primary and supporting departments.
Public Safety has been working closely with IRCC, CBSA, and Public Services and Procurement Canada, as well as reaching out to NGOs in the private sector to develop interim lodging options to address the increasing number of asylum seekers at the border in Lacolle, Quebec. There is ongoing work among all federal partners and also Quebec and Ontario provincial officials to address interprovincial movement of asylum seekers in order to export solutions to regulate the interprovincial flow and provide alternative accommodation options.
Provincial and federal assistant deputy ministers have been meeting on a regular basis to discuss and review capacity and planning issues with their provincial and territorial colleagues. Public Safety Canada supports these discussions by ensuring that plans made at federal and provincial levels are integrated and well coordinated.
Responding to the rapid increase in asylum seekers has been a whole-of government effort with many federal departments, agencies and provinces involved. The leadership shown by all has permitted an efficient response to a fluid situation.
I will finish there and I’d be happy to answer any questions the committee may have.