Frequently Asked Questions for Business

Roles & Responsibilities

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What are the roles and responsibilities of governments (e.g., federal, provincial/territorial) with respect to pandemic preparation and response?

The different levels of government have different roles and responsibilities depending on the nature of the emergency. In the event of a pandemic, the emergency is primarily a public health emergency, which falls under provincial jurisdiction.
   
In general, emergencies such as pandemics are managed first at the local level: hospitals, fire departments, police and municipalities. If they need assistance, they request it from the provinces or territories. If a pandemic were to escalate beyond their capabilities, the provinces or territories seek assistance from the federal government. The coordination and provisioning of resources can move quickly from the local to the national level.

This process is not necessarily linear since a pandemic will be monitored and prepared for by the federal government, provinces and territories well before assistance is requested from a municipality. For information about the role of the provinces, please contact your provincial emergency management organization.

Please go to http://www.getprepared.ca for more information about general responsibilities during an emergency.

Please see An Emergency Management Framework for Canada for more information. Please go to emergency management for more information about Public Safety’s all hazards emergency management approach and prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities.

 

What is the role of provincial emergency management organizations? Are they responsible for activating their operations centres?

Every province and territory has their own emergency management organization with their own self-defined roles and responsibilities. 

Please go to http://www.getprepared.ca for information about the emergency management organization in your province. Please go to http://www.safecanada.ca/province_e.asp for information about public safety in your province.

What are the roles and responsibilities of individual government departments with respect to pandemic preparedness and response?

The Emergency Management Act sets out the general emergency planning responsibilities for all federal ministers and generally provides for both financial and non-financial support to provinces when emergency situations occur. Business continuity planning is an important aspect of pandemic preparedness for each federal department.

Please go to http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/showtdm/cs/E-4.56 to view the Emergency Management Act and other federal legislation, and http://www.canlii.ca/ for provincial as well as other legislation. 

 

What are the roles and responsibilities of local / municipal governments during a pandemic?

Local and municipal governments are generally responsible for the first response to an emergency (e.g., police, ambulance and firefighter services). Many municipalities also have their own individual business continuity plans; however please contact your municipality or local government for more information.

 

What are the federal government’s roles and responsibilities regarding critical infrastructure?

Under the Emergency Management Act, the Minister of Public Safety is responsible for exercising leadership by coordinating federal players in their emergency management and critical infrastructure activities in cooperation with provincial/territorial governments. This collaboration is important so that any disruptions to essential services are short-lived and the impact is minimized. 

The federal government’s participation in relation to critical infrastructure include:

1. Promotion of timely information sharing across sectors and jurisdictions. 
2. Identification of issues of national, regional or sectoral concern.
3. Collaboration with provinces, territories and the private sector.
4. Use of subject-matter expertise from both the public and private sectors to provide guidance on current and future challenges.
5. Development of tools and best practices. Note that each stakeholder is ultimately responsible for implementing a risk management approach appropriate to their situation.

Conduct and coordinate exercise planning across jurisdictions and with the private sector in order to support a common approach to critical infrastructure protection. 

 

What are the expected roles and responsibilities of the private sector regarding pandemic preparedness and response?

The private sector has responsibilities to its employees, (under various federal and provincial health and safety legislation,) its owners, shareholders, customers and so on.  All organizations are encouraged to have well developed Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) that could include supply chain coordination, which will maintain delivery of critical goods and services during times of significant and sustained worker absenteeism. This includes working with sector associations and establishing partnerships with other members of the sector to provide mutual support.

Key associations can also provide information voluntarily to the Government of Canada and the provinces regarding the ability of industry leaders in critical infrastructure sectors to maintain service. 

 

How will the federal government coordinate its pandemic response / interact with the private sector? Is there a model?

Since a pandemic is primarily a health emergency and healthcare falls under provincial jurisdiction, the provinces will play a major response role. Depending on the industry and issue, the private sector will most likely deal directly with provincial authorities in a significant way in relation to public health and occupational health and safety measures.  

Interaction between the federal government and the private sector should be between the key associations related to each critical infrastructure sector and the federal department with primary responsibility for that sector. 

 

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