OTTAWA — Mounties and border guards emerged the only significant winners in a low-key federal security package that contained few surprises and left several large questions unanswered.
In total, the government intends to spend $2.5-billion on new defence and security measures over the next two years, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told the House of Commons yesterday.
Just over $1-billion of that will be allocated to defence, while the lion's share -- $1.6-billion -- is earmarked for public security, including policing, measures against gang and gun crime, and emergency preparedness.
"Safe streets are a defining characteristic of the Canadian way of life and must be preserved," Mr. Flaherty said in the budget speech.
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The anti-crime package includes $161-million to hire and train 1,000 new RCMP officers and $37-million to expand and upgrade facilities at the Mounties' national training academy. Just over $100-million has been allocated for providing border guards with sidearms, a change the guards have long sought.
On the critical question of prisons -- how to expand an already overburdened corrections system to make room for the new inmates who will go to jail as a result of tougher sentencing guidelines -- the budget provides no detail.
"We are setting aside funds to expand Canada's correction facilities to house the expected increase in inmates as a result of changes in sentencing rules," Mr. Flaherty said, without providing a dollar figure.
Nor does the 315-page budget provide a spending figure.
The government will also move to eliminate or beef up border posts currently staffed by only one guard.
And there is $303-million for an undefined "border strategy to promote the movement of low-risk trade and travellers within North America."
Additionally, Ottawa has dedicated $460-million -- the largest single spending item on the public security file -- for undefined measures to enhance "pandemic preparedness."
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority -- the federal agency charged with screening passengers at airports -- will receive an additional $133-million over two years, and $95-million will be spent on security upgrades to passenger rail and urban transit.
