Public Safety Portfolio - Pocket Book
(May 2025)

The Portfolio

The Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Portfolio was established in 2003 with the goal of consolidating a range of responsibilities in the safety and security realm under one Minister. Your general powers, duties and functions are set out in the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Act (PSEP Act).

The Portfolio is composed of the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (the Department, PS); and five agencies: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), and the Parole Board of Canada (PBC); and three review bodies: the RCMP External Review Committee (ERC), the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC), and the Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI).

The Portfolio is the biggest, non-military Portfolio in the Government of Canada. The Portfolio's 2024-25 budget is over $13 billion, and it employs close to 73,000 people working in every part of the country and internationally. Each organization contributes to public safety and to the mission of building a safe and resilient Canada through its unique mandate and responsibilities. The Department's principal role is to bring strategic focus, coordination and direction to the government's overall safety and security agenda. It plays a key role in the development, coordination and implementation of policies and programs in the areas of national security, community safety, crime prevention, law enforcement and emergency management. The Department's annual budget is approximately $1.6 billion with 1,546 employees. The majority of the Department's employees work in the National Capital Region, but regional offices are also located in five regions: Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut, Atlantic, Prairies and Northwest Territories, and Pacific (British Columbia and Yukon) regions.

The five agencies

RCMP – Prevents and investigates crime, maintains peace and order, enforces laws, contributes to national security, ensures the safety of senior officials and foreign missions, and provides operational support services to other law enforcement agencies within Canada and abroad. The RCMP's annual budget is $4.8 billion with 32,385 employees.

CBSA – Provides integrated border services in support of national security and public safety priorities by enforcing Canadian laws governing trade and travel, facilitating legitimate cross-border traffic, collecting duties and taxes and interdicting goods and people that pose a potential threat to Canada. CBSA's annual budget is $2.6 billion with 16,372 employees.

CSIS – Investigates and reports on activities that may pose a threat to the security of Canada. CSIS also provides security assessments, on request, to all federal departments and agencies. CSIS' annual budget is $703 million with approximately 3,500 employees.

CSC – Responsible for administering court-imposed sentences of two years or more for adult offenders and supervising offenders on various forms of conditional release in the community. CSC's annual budget is $3.2 billion with 18,826 employees.

PBC – An independent administrative tribunal that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Public Safety and has exclusive authority to make independent, quality conditional release, record suspension and expungement decisions, as well as clemency recommendations in a transparent and accountable manner. The Board's authority extends to federal offenders and offenders in provinces and territories that don't have their own parole boards. PBC's annual budget is $73.2 million with 533 employees.

The three review bodies

ERC – Provides civilian oversight of labour relations within the RCMP by conducting independent reviews of certain types of grievances as well as demotions and dismissals. ERC's annual budget is $6.5 million with 33 employees.

CRCC – Receives complaints from the public about the conduct of RCMP members and conducts reviews when complainants are not satisfied with the RCMP's handling of their complaints. It also initiates complaints and investigations into RCMP conduct when it is in the public interest to do so, holds hearings, and reports findings and makes recommendations. CRCC's annual budget is $16.3 million with 110 employees.

OCI – Conducts independent investigations about issues related to CSC that affect offenders either individually or as a group. The Office is also responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on CSC's policies and procedures associated with the area of individual complaints to ensure that systemic areas of concern are identified and addressed. OCI's annual budget is $7.5 million with 45 employees.

Key messages

Key contacts

Tricia Geddes, Deputy Minister, Public Safety Canada
Office: 613-949-0322 Cell: [REDACTED]
Email: Tricia.Geddes@ps-sp.gc.ca

Daniel Mills, Associate Deputy Minister, Public Safety Canada
Office: 613-222-7586
Email: Daniel.Mills@ps-sp.gc.ca

Jeffery Hutchinson, Associate Deputy Minister (Emergency Management), Public Safety Canada
Cell: 613-612-9531
Email: jeffery.hutchinson@ps-sp.gc.ca

Erin O'Gorman, President, Canada Border Services Agency
Office: 613-957-0612 Cell: [REDACTED]
Email: Erin.O'Gorman@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

Daniel Rogers, Director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Office: [REDACTED]
Email: [REDACTED]

Anne Kelly, Commissioner, Correctional Service of Canada
Office: 613-995-5781 Cell: [REDACTED]
Email: Anne.Kelly@csc-scc.gc.ca

Joanne Blanchard, Chairperson, Parole Board of Canada
Office: 613-954-1154 Cell: [REDACTED]
Email: Joanne.Blanchard@pbc-clcc.gc.ca

Mike Duheme, Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Office: 613-823-4627 Cell: [REDACTED]
Email: Mike.Duheme@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Public Safety contacts

Policy

Shannon Grainger, Assistant Deputy Minister, Portfolio Affairs and Communications Branch
Office: 613-949-6435 Cell: 343-552-7038
Email: Shannon.Grainger@ps-sp.gc.ca

Technical and IT support

Patrick Amyot, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Security Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister
Office: 613-990-2615
Email: Patrick.Amyot@ps-sp.gc.ca

Jill McIntosh, A/Director General, Corporate Services
Office: 613-614-7704
Email: Jill.McIntosh@ps-sp.gc.ca

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