Bill C-263: An Act to establish a national framework for silver alerts

Short Title Short title 1 This Act may be cited as the Silver Alert National Framework Act . Interpretation Definitions 2 The following definitions apply in this Act. Minister  means the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. ( ministre ) silver alert  means an emergency notification used to notify the public of the disappearance of a vulnerable older person, including a person with dementia, and issued for the purpose of locating the missing person as soon as possible. ( alerte SILVER ) Silver Alert National Framework National framework 3 (1) The Minister must develop a national framework to support a dedicated, coordinated silver alert system across Canada that helps to ensure the rapid and safe recovery of missing vulnerable older persons. Consultations (2) In developing the framework, the Minister must consult with representatives of the provincial and territorial governments responsible for public safety, and with other interested persons, including police forces, organizations that issue alerts and care providers who provide services to vulnerable older persons. Content (3) The framework must include measures to (a) increase the efficiency of the silver alert system by promoting the consistent and coordinated use across Canada of the existing infrastructure for issuing public alerts, including wireless public alerting delivered through cellular broadcast technology; (b) harmonize risk thresholds and the criteria to be met before a silver alert is to be issued, including whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that the missing person’s health or safety is at risk and whether the dissemination of information to the public is likely to assist in locating them; (c) ensure there is a greater chance of locating missing vulnerable older persons regardless of where they go missing; (d) reduce the risk of inappropriate silver alerts being issued; (e) provide for geographically targeted as well as inter-provincial alerts; (f) establish privacy guidelines regarding the personal information that may be disclosed in the silver alert and regarding the duration of the alert; and (g) increase the effectiveness of public participation by supporting public education and awareness campaigns. Agreements Agreements 4 The Minister may enter into an agreement with a province or territory with respect to standards, guidelines and codes of practice to be followed in the administration of a silver alert system. Reports to Parliament Tabling of national framework 5 (1) Within one year after the day on which this Act comes into force, the Minister must prepare a report setting out the silver alert national framework and cause it to be tabled in each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after it is completed. Publication (2) The Minister must publish the report on a publicly available website within 10 days after it has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament. Review of national framework 6 Within two years after the report referred to in section 5 has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament, the Minister must undertake a review of the effectiveness of the national framework and prepare a report that sets out the Minister’s conclusions and recommendations, including in respect of any updates or revisions to the framework that the Minister considers appropriate.