Collaboration and communities

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Key steps to address public safety and security requirements

Collaboration is a cornerstone of the Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP). CSSP is founded on working with partners in federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous governments, safety and security communities and associations, partners in industry and academia, and international governments.

These partnerships enable CSSP to address public safety and security requirements through three key steps:

  1. Identifying safety and security science and technology needs and priorities of government partners by understanding science and technology trends, threats and opportunities.
  2. Sourcing science and technology solutions to meet those needs and priorities, by funding research and development with government, industry and academia.
  3. Delivering science and technology solutions with and to government partners at federal, provincial, territorial and municipal levels of government.

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Partners in implementing CSSP projects:

An image shows three overlapping hexagons representing the partners involved in implementing Canadian Safety and Security Program projects, namely the Defence Research and Development Canada Centre for Security Science, lead government department, and industry/academia.

  • Partners in implementing CSSP projects - Text version

    An image shows three overlapping hexagons representing the partners involved in implementing Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP) projects, namely the Defence Research and Development Canada Centre for Security Science, lead government department, and industry/academia. Each partner has a brief description of the responsibilities involved in implementing CSSP projects.

    Under Defence Research and Development Canada Centre for Security Science, the responsibilities listed are:

    • Identifies gaps and challenges requiring science and technology solutions
    • Manages CSSP funding
    • For some projects, acts as lead government department and manages the research project

    Under lead government department (LDG), the responsibilities listed are:

    • Responsible department for delivering, operationalizing, or implementing the science and technology safety and security requirement
    • LGD may be federal, provincial, territorial or municipal

    Under industry and academia, the responsibilities listed are:

    • Partners with a lead government department to conduct research and provide technologies to address safety and security gaps and challenges
    • Contracts through a lead government department to receive funding

Apart from funding projects under the CSSP, an important aspect of the mandate of the Centre for Security Science, which manages the CSSP, is to maintain close links with science and technology stakeholders and partners across safety and security communities. Leading, supporting, and participating in networks, collaborations, and partnerships in the domains of public safety and national security fosters greater information sharing, trust, and identification of emerging threats and opportunities, which are critical for enabling a safe and secure Canada.

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Partnerships within Canada

All Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP) projects are driven by a timely science and technology need or gap of a government department in safety and security.

While the areas of CSSP projects fall between departmental mandates, they are always led by a government department responsible for delivering, operationalizing, or implementing the science and technology safety and security requirement. Other departments and levels of government often serve as partners and collaborators for CSSP projects. Government departments are responsible for the CSSP project outcomes and implement the research findings.

CSSP funds projects at all levels of government, including federal, provincial/territorial, municipal, and Indigenous.

Examples of CSSP projects

Federal
In a collaboration with federal government partners in nuclear safety, CSSP supported a project called the “Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan Nuclear Vessel Live Play Exercise” (2021). The overall objective for the exercise is to test the interoperability of emergency response plans of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and all levels of government in response to a Nuclear-Powered Vessel incident. This exercise provides an excellent opportunity for a wide variety of responders to work together to mitigate the effects of the consequences of a Nuclear-Powered Vessel emergency while at port. The lead government departments were Health Canada and Department of National Defence Director Nuclear Safety, and other federal partners included: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Government Operations Centre, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Global Affairs Canada.

Provincial and Territorial
In a collaboration between provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, CSSP funded a project called SAVE Application COVID-19 Pandemic Case Study (2020). This proof of concept/demonstration allows vulnerable populations to connect with community emergency operations centres who can then deploy appropriate volunteer resources to assist them. Resources are registered in a secure and governed manner. Partners included: Province of Prince Edward Island, Yukon Territory, County of Lambton Paramedic Service, Grey County, Essex County, City of Thunder Bay, and County of Renfrew, as well as industry partner Interdev Technologies.

Municipal
CSSP collaborated with municipal and provincial partners on the project, OneResponse: A Web-Enabled Tool for Assessing Municipal Disaster (2019). The OneResponse project allows organizations (government, non-profits and private sector) to evaluate their emergency preparedness levels and identify key areas for improvement as well as measure their improvements from historical evaluations. Partners included: Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services, City of Halifax, and Nova Scotia as well as industry partners McAllister & Craig Disaster Management Inc. and Therefore Interactive Inc.

Networks and Communities of Practice

The CSSP is managed by the Defence Research and Development Canada Centre for Security Science, which is the coordinating body for federal public safety and security science and technology. The Centre for Security Science actively participates in both formal and informal communities of practice, networks, associations, and working groups in the domains of public safety and national security in order to identify future science and technology trends, threats, and opportunities.

Fostering networking and collaboration among stakeholders in safety and security in Canada enables CSSP to be aligned with emerging science and technology issues, coordinate knowledge and science-evidence, and identify critical gaps in safety and security.

Examples of network participation:

  • Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network (BSL4ZNet):
    A network of animal health and public health organizations established to respond to current and emerging high-consequence bio-risks through strong international partnerships.
  • Explosives and Ballistics Effects Technical Working Group:
    A network of federal stakeholders working in the domain of explosives and the protection against the misuse of explosives to share technical expertise, knowledge, and results from research, to establish new priorities, and to promote cooperation.
  • Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP):
    The Centre for Security Science participates in the Information and Communications Technology Committee of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police as well as the Canadian Tri-Service Emergency Management Committee (with the Paramedics Chiefs of Canada and the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs).
  • Interdepartmental Marine Security Working Group:
    A forum to develop policy recommendations for senior decision-makers and to promote greater cooperation across the federal government in order to enhance Canada’s marine security.

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International partnerships

The Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP) coordinates science and technology collaboration on public safety and security matters with international government organizations under several formal arrangements. Through international partnerships, Canada and its allies can share resources and expertise to address mutual public safety and security challenges, develop the best solutions efficiently and increase the interoperability of solutions across borders.

More than 30 activities are managed on an ongoing basis through formal bilateral and multilateral arrangements, such as:

  • The US-Canada bilateral agreement for Cooperation in Science and Technology for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Border Security (CIPABS 2004)
    CIPABS enables cooperative science and technology activity to support safety and security missions.
  • The US-Canada Research and Development to Combat Terrorism (RDCT – 2009) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
    The RDCT MOU improves capabilities to combat terrorism through the application of state-of-the-art and emerging technologies.
  • Canada-United Kingdom (CA-UK) Public Security and Safety - Cooperative Science and Technology Memorandum of Understanding (S&T MOU)
    This S&T MOU enables research, testing and development of technologies relating to public safety and security.
  • Canada-Sweden (CA-SWE) Cooperative Defence Science and Technology (S&T) Implementing Arrangement
    This implementing arrangement enables collaboration in public security and safety science and technology with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB).
  • 5 Research and Development (5RD)
    The Five Eyes security partners formed 5RD in May 2018 to strengthen multilateral cooperation. The 5RD Council is an effort between Australia, New Zealand, U.K., U.S., and Canada to discover, connect, and leverage matters related to counter terrorism and transnational crime, cyber security, border management, emergency management and resiliency, aviation security, and technology forecasting.
  • International Forum to Advance First Responder Innovation (IFAFRI) member
    Set up by international government leaders to give a greater voice to first responders, the Forum focuses on the technologies needed to help first responders conduct their missions safely, effectively and efficiently.
  • Quadrilateral Group on Chemical, Biological and Radiological Counter-Terrorism (QUAD CBR CT)
    The QUAD CBR CT is an effort between Australia, U.K., U.S., and Canada to support each country’s national objectives in countering chemical, biological and radiological terrorism and its consequences. Work is divided into four working groups:
    • Scientific, Technical, and Intelligence Group (STIG);
    • Law Enforcement Group (LEG);
    • Technical Response Group (TRG); and
    • Consequence Management Group (CMG).

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