(Ottawa) – Phil McColeman, Member of Parliament for Brant and Member of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, addressed the security costs associated with the G8 and G20 Summits in the House of Commons today. Mr. McColeman delivered the following speech outlining the expected security expenditures of the RCMP.


“Mr. Speaker it is with great pleasure that I rise today and speak to address this motion.

We are building on the success of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and promoting Canada throughout 2010: our year in the global spotlight.

The summits will provide international media exposure for our country and are a great opportunity to showcase all that Canada has to offer as a gracious host and a terrific tourist destination.

Muskoka and Toronto are ready to host world-class summits.

The security plan has been developed by Canadian experts.

By authority of the Foreign Missions and International Organizations Act and Section 17 of the RCMP Act, the RCMP is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of all Summit participants when they arrive in Canada to take part in the meetings. 

As the House is no doubt aware, the RCMP has extensive experience in securing major events such as the Sommet de la Francophonie, the North American Leaders Summit, G7 meetings and most recently the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

The RCMP is leading a G8/G20 Summits Integrated Security Unit – also known as the ISU. 

It is comprised of partners from the Ontario Provincial Police, Canadian Forces, Toronto Police Service and Peel Regional Police. 

Each agency brings valuable expertise as well as experience drawn from past major events or security operations to the ISU team.

Integration has always been an important planning component for the RCMP.

By bringing together partners from some of Canada’s top security forces, the RCMP and its partners have fully integrated the planning process to ensure that seamless security and public safety services are provided. 

The RCMP and its partners have extensive experience planning for major events like the G8 and G20 Summits. 

 They’ve had significant successes with past major events such as the Olympics, the Sommet de la Francophonie and the North American Leader’s Summit. 

Members of the ISU have taken the best security practices from these past events and they have developed a plan that specifically addresses the security needs for the G8 and G20.

A number of factors such as location, threat level and stature of participants play a significant role in determining the security plan and subsequent security cost. 

There is currently no major event comparable to the security planning being conducted by the ISU in preparation for the G8 and G20 Summits. 

In terms of costs, John Kirton, the director of the University of Toronto’s G-8 Research Group said that the costs to host G8 and G20 in and around Toronto next month is “within range” of what similar summits cost.

Adding also and I quote - “If you want to be at the G-8 table, you can’t go to washroom when the bill comes.”

Planning for the safest and most secure environment possible is the ISU’s top priority.
 
The preparations involve extensive planning and extensive coordination in the months preceding the summits. 

One of the largest challenges for the RCMP and its partners is the significant number of Summit participants. 

Known as Internationally Protected People, Canada will be welcoming some of the world’s most influential leaders. 

 Working closely with the Ontario Provincial Police is the police force of jurisdiction in Huntsville, and the Toronto Police Service has jurisdiction in the city of Toronto, the ISU will be ensuring that these visiting dignitaries receive the best protection that Canada has to offer.

These two major events represent a considerable undertaking for all agencies involved in security operations in the ISU. 

But we’re ready.  And we’re confident in the plan.

All these preparations have been done so that the participants will be able to focus on the importance of these meetings, and not matters of security.   
 
And we have a great advantage with being able to draw upon RCMP members, since they come to any situation with excellent training and experience, and are strategically positioned across the country to respond quickly and effectively wherever they are needed. 

Now there has been a lot of criticism from the opposition about the costs of hosting these world-class summits.

Let me assure the members opposite that this Government, working closely with security experts in the ISU, and have taken the necessary steps to ensure security costs are effective and efficient. 

The creation of the ISU itself is a cost-saving measure.  Planning in a joint operational structure allows the RCMP to share assets with law enforcement partners and ensures there is no cost overlap on human resource requirements. 

The RCMP has also undertaken internal reviews of its security plans and adjusted costs and plans wherever it was able to, without compromising security for the events. 

The simple reality is that security costs money.

And as Ward Elcock, Coordinator for the 2010 Olympic and G8/G20 Security, has said, “The reality is that many countries have not been as transparent as Canada has traditionally been.”

We were one of the first countries ever to have published the all-out number of security spending for the Olympic Games. 

And he’s also warned against taking at face value, all of the figures that have been floated out in the media about the previous costs for these summits.

He’s said, and I quote - “We have been much more transparent about total costs.”
Canada’s Auditor General has echoed that sentiment, saying:

“Obviously a billion dollars is a lot of money, but I think we have to recognize that security is expensive. There are a lot of people that are involved over a very long period of time. We may think the meetings only last for a few days, but all the preparations involve extensive planning, extensive coordination for months before that, and I think we have to be really careful. I noticed in some of the media reports there was a comparison to another number of I think it was 179 million. I think we have to be very careful in those comparisons because my understanding is that the 179 million is really partial funding and the way government funds these things, it was not an initial estimate of what the costs would be.”

When it comes to the costs – it’s very important to get the facts correct.

In March, $179 million was allocated as part of the overall security budget for the G8 and G20 summits.

The recently tabled Supplementary Estimates (A) allocated a further $654 million.

As we have always stated, overall costs will be finalized following the completion of the summits.

However, based on a medium level threat assessment, we’ve budgeted up to $930 million for security.

Global security begins at home.  As hosts of the G8 and G20 summits we will be prepared to respond to any possible situation or threat.  

We will take all measures necessary to ensure Canadians, delegates and international visitors remain safe.

And this also involves testing our plans.

The ISU and its partners recently tested the security plans – in an exercise that was called Trillium Guardian. 
Through Exercise Trillium Guardian, the ISU confirmed a functional integrated command and coordination structure with effective information and intelligence sharing in support of the Canadian national security and emergency management framework for the Summits. 

Virtually all Summit plans and procedures were tested. 
And it should come as no surprise that there are solid security plans in place to meet a number of potential threats to the Summits. 

The reality is that Canada is hosting the G8 and the G20 Summits in less than a month. 

And Mr. Speaker – we’re proud to be hosting world leaders.

Unlike the Liberal Leader who never misses a chance to run down Canada – we’re focused on showcasing Canada.

While the Liberal Leader said he is “embarrassed” of Canada – we’re looking forward to sitting down with our friends and allies.

We are focused on welcoming the world, once again this year to our great country.

And Canadians know that – unlike the Leader of the Opposition - our Government is proud of Canada’s leadership on the world stage.
For example, when the Prime Minister Harper had a successful and important visit to China last fall that also addressed the issue of human rights, the Liberal Leader took the side of the Chinese and criticized the government for raising the issue.

Typical of the Liberal Leader who has criticized our Government’s principled position on human rights and instead said we should “lower the volume…quietly” in dealing with China.  (cbc.ca, Nov. 16, 2006)
And when Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a hateful rant at the United Nations, the Liberal Leader criticized the Government for being absent.

This of course coming from the same Liberal Leader who was absent from Canada for 34 years and only returned to Canada to be Prime Minister.

The same Liberal Leader who bashed our flag, calling it a “passing imitation of a beer label” (The Observer, July 8, 1990).

The same Liberal Leader  who is “embarrassed” that Canada is leading on the world stage, but his failure to stand up for Canada once again demonstrates that he isn’t in it for Canadians.  He’s just in it for himself.

We’re in it for Canadians.

We’re in it to show leadership on the world stage. 

We’re in it work with our friends and like-minded allies on issues of development, democracy, peace and security.

And we’re in it to address the gravest threat to world security: nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands.

Mr. Speaker, the Opposition doesn’t get it.  Global security begins at home.  As host of the G-8 and G-20 summits we must be prepared to respond to any possible situation or threat.  We will not be influenced by thugs who want to disrupt the summits.

And we are on track to host safe and secure G-8 and G-20 summits. 

Participants have an expectation that we will provide the appropriate level of security. 

Canada deserves nothing less.  

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.”