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Canadian Coast Guard Long-Term Strategy Discussion Paper
Services pillar – What we deliver for Canada

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The Canadian Coast Guard delivers a range of important services year round. Some of these services include:

Marine traffic – whether it is commercial, recreational, or the ferries that connect communities – depends on reliable marine charting, communication systems, and thousands of aids to navigation like buoys. Dredging and channel maintenance keep shipping routes open. Icebreaking keeps waterways and ports accessible in the colder months. And when it comes to incidents on the water, the Canadian Coast Guard is always there to respond. We coordinate and conduct search and rescue operations. We contain and clean up pollution and oil spills. And we remove hazardous vessels and wrecks from our shorelines.

The Canadian Coast Guard operates Canada’s civilian fleet to meet our departmental mandate. Within Fisheries and Oceans Canada, our ships allow scientists to do research that helps to grow our understanding of our oceans and manage our fisheries. They are a platform for the Canadian Hydrographic Service to chart the seafloor – a service that is essential for safe navigation. They also support Conservation and Protection officers in fish habitat restoration and fish stock assessments.

We help other federal departments do important work as well. This work allows the Canadian Coast Guard to help uphold and enforce Canadian laws, promote public safety, and respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Internationally, the Canadian Coast Guard collaborates with other coastal countries to meet the Government of Canada’s priorities related to safety and security.

The Canadian Coast Guard delivers its mandate through our 4 operational regions: Western, Central, Arctic, and Atlantic. The Canadian Coast Guard is also supported by the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, a network of 4,000 volunteers across the country, including a growing Indigenous Auxiliary, who assist in maritime search and rescue operations. We are also working to create more meaningful partnerships with Indigenous peoples across Canada and support Canada’s commitment to reconciliation. These partnerships will be strengthened through engagement with Indigenous partners and by working together to deliver our services. Building partnerships from coast to coast to coast will also assist Indigenous communities to have a greater role in Canada’s marine safety system.

Our long-term goals

The maritime landscape is changing, both globally and here in Canada, due to new and emerging technologies, climate change, supply chain issues, and international relations. The Canadian Coast Guard will need to evolve with these changes. This will ensure that we can continue to:

The Canadian Coast Guard will improve how we deliver our services by strengthening our partnerships with other federal departments, Indigenous and international partners, and marine stakeholders. Through these partnerships, we will be able to better meet our responsibilities and Government of Canada objectives. Through it all, the Canadian Coast Guard will expand our partnerships with Indigenous peoples to better reflect Indigenous knowledge and priorities in our decision making.

To keep up with the many changes in the marine landscape while keeping focus on our core operational mandate, the Canadian Coast Guard is exploring approaches to:

The course to get there

The Canadian Coast Guard is adapting to a constantly changing world. Marine traffic is being affected by changes in the global ocean economy and by new patterns of travel and tourism. Extreme weather and climate change are also impacting our world’s marine life and habitats, including the amount of ice in our waters each year.

Modern service delivery

New technologies such as digital and artificial intelligence are affecting the ways ships navigate and operate. With these new technologies, vessels are becoming highly autonomous. Updated traffic control systems are providing more real-time data that will help the Canadian Coast Guard and the shipping industry predict and manage marine traffic. Search and rescue operations and response to pollution spills are being enhanced through mobile phones and portable beacons. As well, new vessels with different propulsion systems will change the risk and impact of incidents on the water.

Satellites, drones, underwater vehicles, radars, and sensors are providing more real-time data to the Canadian Coast Guard. We use this data to support our activities on the water. For example, drones conduct ice surveys, letting us know where icebreaking is needed. However, improvements are needed so that we can use digital data to effectively provide critical programs and services in an evolving and complex marine landscape.

Strengthening supply chains

Changes within the world-wide supply chain are pushing the Canadian Coast Guard to be more flexible and update how we deliver our services. Increased shipping and events like the COVID-19 pandemic have created global supply chain delays. Paired with the impacts of climate change and evolving international relations, these issues are continuing to grow and change. Countries such as Korea, Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway are already making strides towards using modern navigation systems and e-navigation. To keep up with our partners, Canada must also adopt these new technologies.

A thriving Canadian Arctic

There is no other place where the effects of climate change will be more obvious than in Canada’s Arctic. As temperatures rise, remote areas in the North will open up for possible travel and development. The Canadian Coast Guard will be called to support the growing needs for the Arctic, including:

This work must, and will, be done in collaboration with Inuit, First Nations, Métis, and other Northern partners. It will also be done in line with the Inuit Nunangat Policy, the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, and through the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee.

Mission ready in an evolving world

The Canadian Coast Guard continues to offer our services after climate events, like hurricanes and floods. As climate disasters happen more often, we will need to be ready to keep offering this help and supporting humanitarian response. Likewise, as the Government of Canada continues to work towards protecting 30% of our oceans by 2030, we will need to identify our role in monitoring and enforcing marine protected areas. The Canadian Coast Guard will also continue to provide ships to support science, fisheries management – such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing – and enforcement.

As the Canadian Coast Guard looks at the emerging technologies such as digital technology it will need in the future, it is committed to being an organization that learns. It will also have a culture that is curious, open to innovation, and is always engaging with others.

Industry and international partners

The Canadian Coast Guard works closely with many partners to deliver our work related to science, security, and economic success. We work with the United States Coast Guard to serve the St. Lawrence waterway and the Great Lakes which includes a 3,700 kilometer corridor. We are also part of many international committees for areas like the Arctic. We support Canada’s world-leading ocean science community, as well as its network of researchers. And we participate in industry forums such as the National Marine Advisory Board. The Canadian Coast Guard will continue to offer its expertise to all our partners and to learn from them.

Taking action

There are many ways to achieve the Canadian Coast Guard’s long-term goals for Services. This includes key actions such as:

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