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OTTAWA - The government has released an "all-hazards" national emergency response plan four months after it was chastised for not having one approved by cabinet.
The plan outlines the responsibilities departments and agencies have in national or provincial emergencies, as well as international ones that could affect Canada.
"It outlines the processes and mechanisms needed for an integrated response to an emergency," Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Monday.
"It's also designed to co-ordinate emergency response efforts by federal, provincial and territorial governments, as well as the private sector and NGOs.
"Most of all, it will help to ensure that the government's response to an emergency is seamless and timely and that key decisions can be made quickly when disaster strikes."
Largely logistical in nature, the plan touches on virtually every conceivable natural or man-made disaster, from toxic spills and plane or train crashes to earthquakes, deadly storms and pandemics.
It also addresses government roles in tackling "cyber incidents" and terrorism - all in the name of protecting lives, property, national security and the economy.
In November, Auditor General Sheila Fraser said Public Safety Canada - the agency responsible for co-ordinating the federal crisis response - had not completed an emergency blueprint, nor had the document received formal approval.
That was two years after Parliament gave the department the lead on crisis management.
Fraser said while there was a crisis-response framework on the books, more work was needed to ensure "an integrated, co-ordinated approach to emergencies."
Canada has endured wide-scale emergencies in recent years including the current flu pandemic, the 2003 SARS outbreak, numerous severe floods and the 1998 ice storm in Ontario and Quebec.
The plan establishes liaison officers to serve as links between their departments and the government in emergencies, while representatives from non-governmental organizations and the private sector may also be called upon for expertise.
"Effective emergency management can only be achieved by sharing resources, targeting priorities, integrated plans and working together with stakeholders across multiple levels of government," said Toews.
"That is what the federal emergency response plan is all about."
Liberal MP Mark Holland said the plan was too long in coming.
"We have waited for a very long period of time and now they still stay they are formalizing it, so we are going to have to see what is there, but it should have never taken this kind of time," he said.
