🍁 civid v1

Purpose and scope

• Bill C-263 would require the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to develop a national framework supporting a coordinated silver alert system for missing vulnerable older people, including people with dementia.
• A silver alert is an emergency public notification intended to help locate a missing person as soon as possible. The bill was at second reading; the supplied text is the first-reading version.

National framework

• The minister would have to consult provincial and territorial public-safety representatives and other interested people, including police, alert issuers and care providers.
• The framework would have to include measures to:
  • Promote consistent, coordinated use of existing public-alert infrastructure, including cellular broadcast alerts.
  • Harmonize risk thresholds and criteria for issuing alerts, including whether the person’s health or safety is at risk and whether public notification would likely help.
  • Support geographically targeted and interprovincial alerts, improve the chances of locating missing people and reduce inappropriate alerts.
  • Establish privacy guidelines for information disclosed and alert duration.
  • Support public education and awareness.

Agreements and reports

• The minister could make agreements with provinces and territories on standards, guidelines and codes of practice for administering a silver alert system.
• Within one year after the Act comes into force, the minister would have to prepare a report setting out the framework and table it in each House of Parliament within the specified sitting-day period. The report would have to be published online within 10 days after tabling in both Houses.
• Within two years after tabling in both Houses, the minister would have to review the framework’s effectiveness and prepare a report with conclusions and recommendations.

Existing law and costs

• The provided text does not amend another Act or specify funding or costs. It establishes framework, consultation and reporting duties and permits agreements with provinces and territories.