National Defence Committee on Oct. 29th, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Good morning, everyone.

We are going to begin the 36th sitting of the Standing Committee on National Defence. In accordance with Standing Order and the motion adopted on Monday, February 23, 2009, we are going to have a briefing today on the subject of the security preparations for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

We have with us witnesses from the Privy Council Office, Ward Elcock, Coordinator for the 2010 Olympics and G-8 security. We have also from the Department of National Defence Vice-Admiral Bruce Donaldson, Commander, Canada Command, and we have also from the RCMP Pat McDonell, Assistant Commissioner, Protective Policing.

Welcome, and thank you for being with us. You'll have between five and nine minutes to do a presentation and after that the members will be able to ask you questions.

Mr. Elcock, you have the floor.

[Ward Elcock, Coordinator for 2010 Olympics and G-8 Security, Privy Council Office]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.

It's a pleasure to be here with you today to discuss the security preparations for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Today with me are Assistant Commissioner Pat McDonell of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Vice-Admiral Bruce Donaldson of Canada Command, representing the core security partners in planning for the 2010 Winter Games.

We in fact represent only a fraction of the thousands of people involved in ensuring a safe and secure games. I hesitate to attempt to name all of the departments and agencies providing games security, but it's no exaggeration to say that we could have lined up dozens of representatives from the federal, provincial, municipal, and private sector fields for you today. However, you have the three of us. Our intent is to provide you with an overview of the games security architecture and how each of our organizations and some of the others fit into that structure.

To begin with the games themselves, tomorrow marks the beginning of the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history, with over 45,000 kilometres to be covered from beginning to end. The Olympics themselves take place from February 12 to 28, 2010, and the Paralympics take place from March 12 to 21, 2010, though the security effort in fact covers a longer period, starting in January.

The RCMP, as I think you all know, is the overall lead for security. However, early on in the planning for the games it was recognized that horizontal issues need to be identified and addressed. My position, in an office with a small number of staff, was established in October 2007 with the mandate of overseeing a whole-of-government approach to security preparations for the games. The reality is that means it's been our task to coordinate, enable, and in some cases test the assumptions underlying the security preparations for the games. Our goal is to ensure funding, planning, and operational measures are both linked and risk-based.

Additionally, my office has put in place an exercise program to confirm the readiness of the security partners in advance of the games. The security coordination covers key federal departments and agencies, other levels of government, and international partners.

At the federal level I chair a group of deputy ministers whose departments have security related mandates. This body's goal is to provide the federal Government with integrated advice on Games security. This ability for senior level interdepartmental exchange of information and strategic assessment will allow timely and appropriate responses to significant events that may occur.

We will not be operating in a vacuum—there will be support from departments and agencies operating within their established mandates, as well as an inter-departmental committee at the assistant deputy minister level. Ali told, we will be prepared to provide ministers or individual departments with the advice or information they require to address critical situations. And of course we have our established links with the province of British Columbia that will be used during any emergency.

The world will be looking to Canada to host a safe and secure event for athletes, spectators, and international visitors during the upcoming winter games. While no one wants to contemplate some of the threats one can imagine to the games, any failure on our part in anticipating, preventing, and mitigating those threats and their consequences would have severe repercussions for the people in Vancouver and Whistler, or potentially elsewhere in Canada.

Next week, in Exercise Gold, we will be confirming our readiness to respond to various situations that may arise during the games. While it is impossible to predict every scenario that may challenge us in the future, we can develop habits of mind and strengthen our processes and relationships to the point that we can immediately move to resolve potential crises.

As to where we are, implementation of the security plans for the games is on track to give us the elements needed for effective game security. Without question, an added benefit of game security preparations is the creation of lasting connections, at all levels, among those involved. In fact it is those plans and valued partnerships between organizations that I believe will form a lasting security legacy from these games.

The security partners are focused on their responsibilities and we have comprehensive security plans for the 2010 Winter Games. At the same time our plans take into consideration the fact that the Games are sporting events and not security events.

No one wants anyone to come away from the Games with memories of the security that surrounds them—instead those memories should be of coming together to celebrate athletic competition in a safe and secure environment—that will be the measure of our success.

With that, I will now turn to Assistant Commissioner McDonell who will speak to the RCMP's role in Games security, to be followed by Vice-Admiral Donaldson who will address the role of the Canadian Forces

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

You have the floor, Mr. McDonell.

[Assistant Commissioner Pat McDonell, Assistant Commissioner, Protective Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police]

Thank you.

Mr. Chair and members of the committee, before offering my comments on RCMP Olympic security preparations, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the exceptional support and valued strategic guidance we have received from the office of the coordinator. Deputy Minister Elcock and his staff have been instrumental in navigating some complex matters through the various processes, both at the federal and provincial levels. Mr. Elcock's leadership and experience have contributed to many of our successes to date, and his effort on our behalf is greatly appreciated.

Mr. Chair, as you know, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been given the responsibility of being the lead agency responsible for the delivery of a safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. From the onset it has been our intention to provide a modern sophisticated security package.

Since the tragic events at the Munich Games in 1972 security for the Olympic villages and competition sites has drawn increasing levels of media attention, and this has to a significant extent overshadowed the primary goal of the games, as an expressing of sportsmanship and friendship, and a cultural celebration.

Our overall strategy for the 2010 games is to keep the focus of public attention on the athletes and games, not security, while ensuring that in the background appropriate and effective security is in place. This is a commitment that has been endorsed by the International Olympic Committee and VANOC. Our underlying security philosophy is that the games are an athletic event with security, not a security event with athletes.

In order to deliver on our mandate, the RCMP is taking an intelligence-led planning approach, utilizing sound risk management principles and an integrated security model. In that regard, we have formed the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit, commonly known as the V2010 ISU. The ISU has grown to include representation from many agencies at all three levels of government. Planners from CSIS, CBSA, Transport Canada, the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service, the Vancouver, West Vancouver, Calgary, and Winnipeg police services, and the greater Vancouver transit authority police are examples of a few of the many contributing agencies that make up the ISU. However, since its inception our most prominent partner has been the Canadian Forces.

Mr. Chair, I am pleased to be here today with Vice-Admiral Donaldson and our colleagues from Canada Command, who have provided exceptional support and assistance in the planning of our efforts to achieve the peak of operational preparation. I will to address a few aspects of our collaboration later in my presentation.

There is nothing unusual about police work during the 2010 Winter Games. The role of the police when unlawful acts occur is to optimize public safety, preserve the peace, and enforce the law while upholding the fundamental freedom of peaceful protest and balancing it with the rights of Canadians to enjoy public events in a safe environment. Activities that involve violations of Canadian law may be the subject of police investigations and criminal prosecutions, regardless of where they occur or who is involved.

The RCMP takes a measured approach to policing major events and is committed to the protection of participants, observers, government and law enforcement officials, the general public, and private and public property. We must prepare for numerous eventualities during such events. To do this, we review our programs and past practices as well as current threat and risk assessments to enhance our response to public safety and security during major international events. We work in close partnership with the local police service of jurisdiction and other law enforcement partners to develop appropriate security measures.

Shortly after the city of Vancouver and the resort municipality of Whistler were awarded the 2010 games, the RCMP began planning for the event. Our first planning initiative was to develop a comprehensive concept of operations. To help with this task, we sought the assistance of the Canadian Forces. A CF subject-matter expert was seconded to the RCMP and the relationship has flourished within the ISU ever since. In fact, Lieutenant Colonel Pat Koch continues to serve in the ISU after returning from duty in Afghanistan. Lieutenant Colonel Koch has been joined by many of his military colleagues, both in the ISU and at Joint Task Force Games.

The work of the joint RCMP-CF Olympic planning team has also intensified, in terms of both strategic direction and regional tactics. The members of the senior management team in Major Events and Protective Services meet periodically with members of operations and planning at Canada Command here in Ottawa, while the members of Assistant Commissioner Bud Mercer's Integrated Security Unit do planning jointly with members of the Canadian Forces in the ISU and the Joint Task Force Games.

The RCMP and Canadian Forces relationship has proven invaluable in preparing for the Vancouver 2010 games. The fully integrated planning structure brought the different perspectives together so that the strengths of each approach were combined to form a very effective planning unit. The fully integrated model that has been adopted will be the model going forward on how security operations for major events will be mounted in the future.

One very obvious area where the skills and expertise of the CF has been invaluable to the RCMP is their capability in exercising. There can be no argument in saying that the CF are truly the Canadian experts in planning and carrying out effective exercises with a view to ensuring operational readiness. In regard to planning for the games, from the early involvement of the Canadian Forces experimental centre in designing a command post experiment, to the continued support of Defence Research and Development Canada, the CF has made significant contributions to Olympic security preparations. These include their efforts supporting enhanced inter-agency coordination within the ISU by developing, modelling, and experimenting with a number of command and control and information and intelligence processes, as well as their involvement with the PCO-led bronze, silver, and gold exercises.

Another example would be the planning process itself. The RCMP has incorporated many aspects of the CF's planning model into our own major event management template.

For the first time, the operational plans for specific pieces like the marine security ops plan and the aviation security ops plan are completely integrated; the CF does not have its own operations plan, nor does the RCMP. The plan incorporates both organizations into one comprehensive operations strategy.

Going forward, it is difficult to imagine a major domestic operation in Canada that will not be managed using this fully integrated model, with the RCMP as the lead agency and the CF in support. Indeed, it is once again proving effective in the work being done in preparation for the G-8 summit being held in Huntsville next year. When looking at international operations such as Afghanistan, a similar model is also proving effective with the RCMP in theatre supporting the CF security operation in terms of civilian policing establishment and training.

These Olympic and non-Olympic activities are clearly living examples of the lasting connections and lasting games security legacies that Deputy Minister Elcock made reference to in his introductory comments. I am confident that the integrated planning model and the strong partnerships forged as a result will ensure that we realize our goal of delivering a safe and secure games.

At this time I will ask Vice-Admiral Donaldson to provide you with his opening remarks.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Thank you.

You have the floor, Vice-Admiral.

[Vice-Admiral Bruce Donaldson, Commander, Canada Command, Department of National Defence]

Good morning, Mr. Chair.

I am pleased to be able to appear before you alongside my distinguished colleagues to provide you with an update on Canadian Forces activities in support of the security preparations for next year's Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler.

And it is appropriate that my remarks to you today follow those of Mr. Elcock and Assistant Commissioner McDonell, for the role of my organization in providing security for the Winter Games is very much supportive. While the Canadian Forces are ready to play our part in ensuring a safe and secure Games, as you've already heard, primary responsibility for the security of the Games lies with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Public Safety Canada. The Canadian Forces are providing a number of unique capabilities in support of the RCMP, including air, land, and maritime surveillance of Canada's west coast, operational and exercise planning assistance, and use of Canadian Forces infrastructure and logistics support.

As the Commander of Canada Command, I am responsible for all Canadian Forces domestic operations in North America, except for aerospace warning and control. A critical part of my job is to ensure that when we are asked, the Canadian Forces are able to support a whole-of-government effort to achieve desired effects to ensure the safety and security of Canadians.

In planning for the winter games over the last few years we have solidified and deepened our relationships with our key partners, and this will not only stand us in good stead for delivering a safe and secure event, but as my colleagues have said, it will enhance our ability to support future security events as well. A part of this legacy will be our ability to plan and practise major national special events in a more comprehensive manner than has been the case in the past. It is no exaggeration to say that the progress we've achieved in the governance structure, planning among other government departments and with our U.S. partners, has been moving us all to a more considered and deliberate method of preparing for special security events of all types.

Now, with only about 100 days to go before the Opening ceremonies, the Canadian Forces—along with our key mission partners—have been participating in the final exercises leading up to the Games. Last week saw the successful conclusion of Exercise Pegasus Guardian 3, the confirmatory exercise for the RCMP-led Integrated Security Unit, and Spartan Rings, the Joint Task Force Games exercise lead by Canada Command.

Last week I travelled to Vancouver to observe Spartan Rings and to see firsthand how some of the exercise scenarios unfolded. I also had a close look at how the Joint Task Force Games command structure and headquarters functioned in this simulated environment. I was extremely pleased and have every confidence that the Canadian Forces and Joint Task Force Games are well prepared and positioned for success.

These exercises were functional, full-scale events designed to challenge the ability of security forces to successfully overcome a spectrum of potential threats to the Games. There were a few key areas being validated, including command and control, communications, and tactical procedures. Specific exercise scenarios included marine and air events, criminal protests, and a hostage taking.

Next week we will become fully engaged in Exercise Gold, the final whole-of-government exercise before the games, being held from November 2 to November 6. Exercise Gold, as you know, is to confirm that the whole-of-government security architecture put in place for the games is appropriately prepared. While this is going on, Canada Command will hold Exercise Determined Dragon, which will confirm the readiness of the Canadian Forces at the national level in the provision of support to the security operations for the winter games.

A successful Winter Olympics is all about sport. All the preparations, planning, and exercising in the security domain will result in background conditions within which sport can take centre stage, and Canada can be a proud host to the world.

I will conclude my remarks to you here and I thank you for your attention.

Of course, I am more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Thank you for your presentation.

I am now going to allow the members of the committee to speak with you.

Mr. Dosanjh, you have the floor for seven minutes.

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Thank you very much.

First of all let me thank you for being here and for all the good work you do on our behalf, in terms of the RCMP and the Canadian Forces.

I have two questions. One is the budget question. The budget started out from about $175 million when I was in cabinet in those days when it was approved, and now it's about $1 billion, give or take $100 million. I would like to know what your guesstimate is as to where it might end up. Would it stay there or might it increase?

Let me ask you the second question so you can answer both. If there's time left over, my colleague Mr. Wilfert might have a question.

The other question is about the RCMP dealing with some activists in a way that I would say is somewhat un-Canadian and disturbing. I'm going to read you a portion of the editorial from Kevin Brooker of the Calgary Herald from this month, I think October 26. It tells of 24-year-old student Danika Surm, who was approached outside of her classroom by two plainclothes constables.

Their curious mission went roughly like this: We understand you're friends with Chris Shaw. What do you know about the man, his activities and his associations? Surm, feeling very uncomfortable about all of this, said little, largely because she has little to tell. She is but a casual friend of Shaw, who happens to be known as Vancouver's most conspicuous opponent of the Games. For the record, though, it should be noted that Shaw is hardly some face-masked firebrand. He is a respected professor of neuroscience at UBC whose website, 2010watch.com, publishes reasonable, well-buttressed critiques of all manner of political chicanery and unsustainable practices connected with the Games. Shaw, of course, has been ambushed by investigators in the same manner as Surm. So have many others who have been identified as Olympic naysayers. They're calling it a witch hunt, and some are even threatening to sue the ISU. It's not difficult to see that this is harassment, pure and simple. Take Surm's harrowing experience. When she refused to give police her cell number, they nevertheless called her on that phone the next day. And when Shaw travelled to London recently to give a talk, he was taken aside at Heathrow and grilled extensively on what he intended to say.

I'm just reading you part of it; all of it is available on the net.

I would like you to respond to that and tell me how that fits into what you say. You say this is not a security event with athletes but a sporting event with security.

[Ward Elcock]

Mr. Chairman, on the first issue, the budget question, I think there's no question that the original $175 million was a vast underestimate of what would be required to put on an Olympic games. Even though it's the winter games, which is smaller than the summer games, it's one of the biggest athletic events in the world, only after the summer games and the world cup of soccer. So it is by definition a major event. Also, the number of people involved and the size is enormous. In Vancouver it is even bigger, given that we have in fact two sites.

So it is perhaps not strange.... Because they didn't at that point have a security plan, and they had no concept of operations--all those came later--it's perhaps not surprising that the number was smaller than would in fact be required. At this juncture I don't have any expectation that the number would rise beyond the budget number that is currently out there, the $900 million that includes $137 million for contingencies. I don't have an expectation it would go beyond that. I hope there would be no major events that would cause it to do so. So my view would be that is likely to be the final budget, give or take a very small amount one way or the other, and it may in fact come in under that budget.

In the context of your question about the RCMP, Assistant Commissioner McDonell may want to comment as well. I'm not aware of anything or any investigations carried out by the RCMP that I would regard as unusual or improper. Frankly, the idea of the police seeking to talk to somebody and asking questions of somebody is entirely voluntary as to whether people comply, or want to talk, or have a discussion. I don't regard that as harassment, and I would be surprised if others do.

Assistant Commissioner McDonell may want to comment as well.

[A/Commr Pat McDonell]

Thank you.

I agree with the comments of Mr. Elcock that we're not harassing people. We're just trying to find out as much information as possible and create a dialogue with demonstrators and protestors, and move forward to ensure the safety and security of the games. I don't believe in this particular case that the members intended to be perceived as harassing an individual.

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Is there any way you can shed any light on why someone like Chris Shaw would be stopped at Heathrow and grilled? Did you pass any information on to the British security establishment?

[A/Commr Pat McDonell]

Not that I'm aware of. I'm not aware that we passed information to the metropolitan or the United Kingdom services. I'm not aware of that.

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Thank you.

Is there any time left?

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

No, 15 seconds.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Can I ask something and maybe we can get it back in writing?

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Yes.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

I understand that there are 5,000 private security screeners being hired for the Olympic Games for general security. Who is being trained and how are they being trained, and to whom are they reporting? And what kind of arrangement is there in terms of the response and the level of security between the RCMP officers and the Canadian Forces? If I could ask that the committee receive that back in writing, it would be appreciated.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Thank you very much.

I will give the floor now to Monsieur Bachand.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to welcome our friends, particularly Mr. Elcock, who is a former Deputy Minister of Defence. He held that position for several years. Mr. Donaldson, I also attended your change of command ceremony. I want to wish you good luck. Thank you also for being here, Mr. McDonell.

Mr. Donaldson, your predecessor, Mr. McFadden, appeared before us in March 2009. I have to come back to what we discussed then and ask you three questions about National Defence. It is important that we get as much detail as possible about national defence issues, even if we agree that the RCMP is in charge of security.

I had asked him a question about protection of air space, the issue that concerns me most. You are talking about air surveillance, but you are not talking about protecting air space. I had talked to Mr. McFadden about the possibility of using a ground-based air defence system, ADATS, that was installed at Kananaskis for the G8 a few years ago. That system would protect against low-altitude attacks by any Cessna, for example, that might be loaded with explosives. His answer was not very clear. He talked about NORAD and all that.

NORAD is in fact in Colorado Springs, and I can't see how a Cessna attack could be prevented from Colorado Springs, even if the F-18s are here. I understand that the F-18s will perhaps be patrolling the air space, but it seems to me that this would not cost a lot. The Canadian government already has the ADATS equipment. I have also been told that every nation that has held the Olympic Games has always deployed land-based air defence systems. Why would we not do it?

Rumour has it that the United States would protect the air space. I hope that will not be the case, because Canada has the necessary equipment to do it and I don't see why it would not do it.

Mr. Donaldson, there is a group responsible for the famous Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Strategy of the Government of Canada. Will that group be deployed in the region of the Olympic Games in the event of a chemical, nuclear or other attack?

I would also like you to talk to us about the Joint Task Force, JTF-2. In the event of a hostage-taking, will it be on alert in Vancouver? We know that the task force was created for that purpose. Without revealing its location or any state secrets, I would like to know whether that task force will be on duty during the Olympic Games.

[Vadm Bruce Donaldson]

Thank you for your questions. Let me answer them in order.

To the first question, there is a comprehensive air surveillance and security plan that is put in place. My command is working in partnership with NORAD, which is a binational command—not a U.S. command—that is responsible for aerospace surveillance and control of North America. It is clearly the appropriate agency with the expertise necessary to deal with a complex air security environment. In this case we work with the RCMP because many of the foreseeable problems are really policing problems, not military problems, but we have a long history of cooperating together to ensure that we keep Canadians safe and secure.

There's a number of different layered approaches to surveillance, involving a number of different types of surveillance assets: space-based, ground-based, and air-based. There is a range of response options that are being modelled. I don't wish actually to comment on the specific instruments we will deploy during the games, because I think that's not really helpful to our ability to control the whole environment. I will say that the Vancouver environment is a particularly challenging one for a ground-based missile system to have effect in very many scenarios. We're taking that into consideration as we look at the comprehensive air security plan during the games.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

You can't tell me whether there the ADATS will be there, is that correct?

[Vadm Bruce Donaldson]

I can't say, sir.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

You can't say to the members who are responsible for this issue. The committee is concerned about security issues. I am not asking you where they will be installed. It seems to me that it would be a deterrent to terrorists to know that the ADATS is there. They might not use Canada to strike a blow or whatever. It would be easy for you to tell the members.

You said there will be several layers of protection. Personally, if I were a terrorist and I knew the ADATS had been installed, that would deter me. It would perhaps be wise for you to say it publicly.

[Vadm Bruce Donaldson]

Sir, I would happily say that any terrorist who is planning activity against the Vancouver 2010 Olympics should be discouraged by the measures we have in place.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

But we can't know the measures.