View source for Canadian Coast Guard

{{Short description|Government agency}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}

{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Canadian Coast Guard
| native_name = {{lang|fr|Garde côtière canadienne}}
| image = Canadian Coast Guard Badge.svg
| image_size = 150px
| caption = [[Heraldic badge]] of the Canadian Coast Guard
| start_date = {{start date and age|1962|1|26}}
| country = {{Flagu|Canada}}
| type = [[Special operating agency]]
| role = {{collapsible list
 | titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
 | title = [[Coast guard]]|Marine search and rescue|aids to navigation and waterways management|marine communications and traffic services|vessels of concern|icebreaking|marine pollution response}}
| size = 6,700 employees (2025)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Fisheries and Oceans Canada |date=2025-05-02 |title=2025 Minister Transition binder, Canadian Coast Guard Overview |url=https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/transparency-transparence/mtb-ctm/2025/1-a4-ccg-gcc-eng.html |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca}}</ref>
| command_structure = {{Tree list}}
*[[Government of Canada]]
**[[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| garrison = [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]]
| garrison_label = Headquarters
| motto = {{langnf|la|Saluti Primum, Auxilio Semper|Safety First, Service Always}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Canadian Coast Guard |date=2019-11-29 |title=History of the Canadian Coast Guard |url=https://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/corporation-information-organisation/history-histoire-eng.html |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca}}</ref>
| equipment = $2.84 billion (2025-26)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Canadian Coast Guard |date=2025-06-02 |title=Canadian Coast Guard Integrated Business and Human Resource Plan 2024 to 2025 through 2026 to 2027: 2025-2026 update |url=https://www.cgc.gc.ca/publications/corporation-information-organisation/ibhrp-piarh/2025-2026/index-eng.html |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=www.cgc.gc.ca}}</ref>
| equipment_label = Annual budget
| website = {{Official URL}}
| commander1 = [[David McGuinty]]
| commander1_label = [[Minister of National Defence (Canada)|Minister of National Defence]]
| commander2 = [[Stefanie Beck]]
| commander2_label = [[Deputy minister (Canada)|Deputy Minister]]
| commander3 = Mario Pelletier
| commander3_label = Commissioner
| commander4 = Marc Mes
| commander4_label = Deputy Commissioner (Programs)
| commander5 = Andy Smith
| commander5_label = Deputy Commissioner (Shipbuilding and Material)
| identification_symbol = [[File:Coastguard Flag of Canada.svg|150px]]
| identification_symbol_label = [[Jack (flag)|Jack]]
| identification_symbol_2 = [[File:Canadian Coast Guard racing stripe.svg|150px]]
| identification_symbol_2_label = [[Racing stripe#Use on watercraft|Racing stripe]]
| identification_symbol_3 = [[File:CCG-GCC wordmark.svg|200px]]
| identification_symbol_3_label = [[Federal Identity Program#Corporate signatures|Corporate signature]]
}}

The '''Canadian Coast Guard''' ('''CCG'''; {{langx|fr|Garde côtière canadienne}}; '''{{langx|fr|GCC|label=none}}''') is a [[special operating agency]] responsible for marine [[search and rescue]] (SAR), navigation aids, [[icebreaking]], and [[marine pollution]] response. Formed in 1962, the CCG is a civilian organization currently housed within the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] (DND) and headquartered in [[Ottawa]], Ontario. The CCG operates [[Equipment of the Canadian Coast Guard|119 vessels of varying sizes and 23 helicopters]], along with a variety of smaller craft.

==Role and responsibility==
[[File:Rescue exercise RCA 2012.jpg|thumbnail|CCGS ''Cap Aupaluk'' assisting the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] in a training exercise]]
Unlike armed coast guards of some other nations, the CCG is a government marine organization without naval or [[law enforcement]] responsibilities. Naval operations in Canada's maritime environment are exclusively the responsibility of the [[Royal Canadian Navy]]. Enforcement of Canada's maritime-related federal statutes may be carried out by [[peace officers]] serving with various federal, provincial or even municipal law enforcement agencies.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Although CCG personnel are neither a naval nor law enforcement force, they may operate CCG vessels in support of naval operations, or they may serve an operational role in the delivery of maritime law enforcement and security services in Canadian federal waters by providing a platform for personnel serving with one or more law enforcement agencies. The CCG's responsibility encompasses Canada's {{convert|202080|km|nmi mi|lk=out|adj=mid|-long}} [[coastline]]. Its vessels and aircraft operate over an area of ocean and inland waters covering approximately {{convert|2.3|e6nmi2|e6km2|abbr=off}}.<!--based upon the combined ocean areas of the Victoria and Halifax search and rescue regions (SRRs) and an estimate of the ocean area of the Trenton SRR)-->{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

===Mission and mandate===
"Canadian Coast Guard services support government priorities and economic prosperity and contribute to the safety, accessibility and security of Canadian waters."<ref name="Canada">{{cite web|url=http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/Mission|title=CCG Mission, Vision and Mandate|publisher=Government of Canada |work=Fisheries and Oceans Canada|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515065416/http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/Mission|archive-date=2013-05-15}}</ref>

The CCG's mandate is stated in the ''[[Oceans Act (Canada)|Oceans Act]]'' and the ''[[Canada Shipping Act]]''.<ref name="Canada"/>

The ''Oceans Act'' gives the CCG responsibility for providing:
{{col div}}
* aids to navigation;
* marine communications and traffic management services;
* icebreaking and ice-management services;
* channel maintenance;
* marine search and rescue;
* marine pollution response; and
* support of other government departments, boards and agencies by providing ships, aircraft and other services.
{{col div end}}
The ''Canada Shipping Act'' gives the minister powers, responsibilities and obligations concerning:
{{col div}}
* aids to navigation;
* [[Sable Island]];
* search and rescue;
* pollution response; and
* vessel traffic services.
{{col div end}}

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2021}}

===Predecessor agencies and formation (1867–1962)===
Originally a variety of federal departments and even the navy performed the work which the CCG does today. Following [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] in 1867, the federal government placed many of the responsibilities for maintaining aids to navigation (primarily lighthouses at the time), marine safety, and search and rescue under the Marine Service of the [[Department of Marine and Fisheries (Canada)|Department of Marine and Fisheries]], with some responsibility for waterways resting with the Canal Branch of the [[Department of Railways and Canals (Canada)|Department of Railways and Canals]].
[[File:Icebreaker CGS Stanley, escorting two vessels.jpg|thumb|The Canadian government vessel {{CGS|Stanley}} escorting two vessels, 1910.]]
Lifeboat stations had been established on the east and west coasts as part of the Canadian Lifesaving Service; the station at [[Sable Island]] being one of the first in the nation. On the Pacific coast, the service operated the Dominion Lifesaving Trail (now called the [[West Coast Trail]]) which provided a rural communications route for survivors of shipwrecks on the treacherous Pacific Ocean coast off Vancouver Island. These stations maintained, sometimes sporadically in the earliest days, pulling (rowed) lifeboats crewed by volunteers and eventually motorized lifeboats.

After the Department of Marine and Fisheries was split into separate departments, the Department of Marine continued to take responsibility for the federal government's coastal protection services. During the inter-war period, the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] also performed similar duties at a time when the navy was wavering on the point of becoming a civilian organization. Laws related to customs and revenue were enforced by the marine division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A government reorganization in 1936 saw the Department of Marine and its Marine Service, along with several other government departments and agencies, folded into the new [[Department of Transport (Canada)|Department of Transport]].

Following the [[World War II|Second World War]], Canada experienced a major expansion in ocean commerce, culminating with the opening of the [[St. Lawrence Seaway]] in 1958. The shipping industry was changing throughout eastern Canada and required an expanded federal government role in the [[Great Lakes]] and the Atlantic coast, as well as an increased presence in the [[Arctic]] and Pacific coasts for sovereignty purposes. The government of [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[John Diefenbaker]] decided to consolidate the duties of the Marine Service of the Department of Transport and on January 26, 1962, the Canadian Coast Guard was formed as a subsidiary of DOT. One of the more notable inheritances at the time of formation was the icebreaker {{ship|CCGS|Labrador||2}}, transferred from the Royal Canadian Navy.

===Expansion years (1962–1990)===
[[File:CCGSJohnAMacdonald1963 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|{{CCGS|John A. Macdonald}} off [[Burnett Inlet]], 1963]]
A period of expansion followed the creation of the CCG between the 1960s and the 1980s. The outdated ships the CCG inherited from the Marine Service were scheduled for replacement, along with dozens of new ships for the expanding role of the organization. Built under a complementary national shipbuilding policy which saw the CCG contracts go to Canadian shipyards, the new ships were delivered throughout this golden age of the organization.

In addition to expanded geographic responsibilities in the Great Lakes, the rise in coastal and ocean shipping ranged from new mining shipments such as Labrador iron ore, to increased cargo handling at the nation's major ports, and Arctic development and sovereignty patrols—all requiring additional ships and aircraft. The federal government also began to develop a series of CCG bases near major ports and shipping routes throughout southern Canada, for example [[Victoria, British Columbia]], [[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia]], and [[Parry Sound, Ontario]].

The expansion of the CCG fleet required new navigation and engineering officers, as well as crewmembers. To meet the former requirement, in 1965 the [[Canadian Coast Guard College]] (CCGC) opened on the former navy base {{HMCS|Protector}} at [[Point Edward, Nova Scotia]]. By the late 1970s, the college had outgrown the temporary navy facilities and a new campus was opened in the adjacent community of [[Westmount, Nova Scotia|Westmount]] in 1981.
[[File:HMCS Protector 1943.jpg|thumb|View of {{HMCS|Protector}} facing east, 1943. The naval base later became the first site for the [[Canadian Coast Guard College]].]]
During the mid-1980s, the long-standing disagreement between the U.S. and Canada over the legal status of the Northwest Passage came to a head after {{USCGC|Polar Sea}} transited the passage in what were asserted by Canada to be Canadian waters and by the U.S. to be international waters. During the period of increased nationalism that followed this event, the Conservative administration of [[Brian Mulroney]] announced plans to build several enormous icebreakers, the [[Polar 8]] class which would be used primarily for sovereignty patrols.

However, the proposed Polar 8 class was abandoned during the late 1980s as part of general government budget cuts; in their place, a program of vessel modernizations was instituted. Additional budget cuts to CCG in the mid-1990s following a change in government saw many of CCG's older vessels built during the 1960s and 1970s retired.

From its formation in 1962 until 1995, CCG was the responsibility of the Department of Transport. Both the department and CCG shared complementary responsibilities related to marine safety, whereby DOT had responsibility for implementing transportation policy, regulations and safety inspections, and CCG was operationally responsible for navigation safety and SAR, among others.

===Budget cuts and bureaucratic oversight (1994–2005)===
Following the [[1995 Canadian federal budget]], the federal government announced that it was transferring responsibility for the CCG from the Department of Transport to the [[Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada)|Department of Fisheries and Oceans]] (DFO). The reason for placing CCG under DFO was ostensibly to achieve cost savings by amalgamating the two largest civilian vessel fleets within the federal government under a single department.

Arising out of this arrangement, the CCG became ultimately responsible for crewing, operating, and maintaining a larger fleet—both the original CCG fleet before 1995 of dedicated SAR vessels, Navaid tenders, and multi-purpose icebreakers along with DFO's smaller fleet of scientific research and fisheries enforcement vessels, all without any increase in budget—in fact the overall budget for CCG was decreased after absorbing the DFO patrol and scientific vessels.

There were serious stumbling blocks arising out of this reorganization, namely in the different management practices and differences in organizational culture at DFO, versus DOT. DFO is dedicated to conservation and protection of fish through enforcement whereas the CCG's primary focus is marine safety and SAR. There were valid concerns raised within CCG about reluctance on the part of the marine community to ask for assistance from CCG vessels since the CCG was being viewed as aligned with an enforcement department. In the early 2000s, the federal government began to investigate the possibility of remaking CCG as a separate agency, thereby not falling under a specific functional department and allowing more operational independence.

===Special operating agency (2005–present)===
In one of several reorganizations of the federal ministries following the swearing-in of Prime Minister [[Paul Martin]]'s cabinet on December 12, 2003, several policy/regulatory responsibilities (including boating safety and navigable waters protection) were transferred from CCG back to Transport Canada to provide a single point of contact for issues related to marine safety regulation and security, although CCG maintained an operational role for some of these tasks.

The services offered by CCG under this arrangement include:

* Icebreaking and Arctic sovereignty protection
[[File:JRCC Halifax 01.jpg|thumb|Inside [[Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax]], 2016. The rescue coordination centre is operated by the Canadian Coast Guard and the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]].]]
* Marine search and rescue: primary marine SAR vessels, personnel to staff [[Rescue coordination centre|joint rescue coordination centre]]s (JRCCs) trained and designated as maritime SAR co-ordinators per the ''Canada Shipping Act''
* Marine security: monitor vessel movements within Canadian waters, coordinate information to other government departments and agencies regarding 96-hour pre-arrival notification from vessels per the ''Marine Transportation Security Act'', personnel to staff marine security operations centres (MSOCs)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://msoc-cosm.gc.ca/index-eng.asp |title=Marine Security Operations Centres |access-date=2012-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017113453/http://www.msoc-cosm.gc.ca/index-eng.asp |archive-date=2010-10-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Environmental response: spill containment and clean-up
* Marine navigation services including aids to navigation: buoy tending, light station keeping, beacon maintenance, publication of [[notices to mariners]] (NOTMAR) annually and monthly, and notices to shipping (NOTSHIP) as well as broadcasting safety notices to shipping over marine radio frequencies; and the publication of ''Radio Aids to Marine Navigation'' (RAMNav) and the ''List of Lights, Buoys & Fog Signals'' (Lights List)
* Maritime mobile safety services: marine radio communications, electronic aids to radio navigation systems (e.g. [[LORAN]], [[Differential GPS]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/Ccg/atn_Gps_Primer|title=Primer on GPS and DGPS – 2000 Edition|publisher=Government of Canada |work=Fisheries and Oceans Canada}}</ref>)
* [[Vessel traffic service]]s to co-ordinate vessel movement safety, monitoring vessel movements including 96-hour reporting protocol before vessels are permitted to enter Canadian waters
* Support to fisheries research (as a platform)
* Offshore, mid-shore and coastal fisheries enforcement (as a platform)
* Integrated border-enforcement teams (IBETs) with the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) and [[Canada Border Services Agency]] (CBSA) (as a platform)
* Marine support to other federal government departments (as a platform)

On April 4, 2005, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans designated the CCG as a "special operating agency"—the largest one in the federal government. Although the CCG still falls under the ministerial responsibility of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, it has more autonomy where it is not as tightly integrated within the department. An example is that all CCG bases, aids to navigation, vessels, aircraft, and personnel are wholly the responsibility of the commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, who is also of assistant deputy ministerial rank. The commissioner is, in turn, supported by the CCG headquarters, which develops a budget for the organization. The arrangement is not unlike the relationship of the RCMP, also headed by a commissioner, toward that organization's parent department, the [[Public Safety Canada|Department of Public Safety]]. On December 6, 2019, Mario Pelletier was appointed Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard.

The special operating agency reorganization is different from the past under both DOT and DFO, where regional directors general for these departments were responsible for CCG operations within their respective regions; this reportedly caused problems under DFO that did not occur under DOT. Now all operations of CCG are directed by the commissioner, who reports directly to the deputy minister of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Assistant commissioners are responsible for CCG operations within each region and they report directly to the commissioner. This management and financial flexibility is being enhanced by an increased budget for CCG to acquire new vessels and other assets to assist in its growing role in marine security.
[[File:Toronto police boats on lake.JPG|thumb|Two RCMP/Coast Guard vessels in [[Toronto harbour]], 2007.]]
CCG continues to provide vessels and crew for supporting DFO's fisheries science, enforcement, conservation, and protection requirements. The changes resulting in CCG becoming a special operating agency under DFO did not address some of the key concerns raised by an all-party Parliamentary committee investigating low morale among CCG employees following the transfer from DOT to DFO and budget cuts since 1995. This committee had recommended that CCG become a separate agency under DOT and that its role be changed to that of an armed, paramilitary organization involved in maritime security by arming its vessels with deck guns, similar to the [[United States Coast Guard]], and that employees be given [[peace officer]] status for enforcing federal laws on the oceans and Great Lakes. As a compromise, the CCG now partners with the RCMP and CBSA to create IBETs, which patrol Canadian waters along the [[Canada–United States border]].

===Fleet modernization (1990–present)===
In the 1990s–2000s, CCG modernized part of its SAR fleet after ordering British [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]] (RNLI)-designed {{sclass|Arun|lifeboat|0}} high-endurance lifeboat cutters for open coastal areas, and the USCG-designed [[47-foot Motor Lifeboat]] (designated by CCG as the {{sclass2|Cape|motor lifeboat|4}}) as medium-endurance lifeboat cutters for the Great Lakes and more sheltered coastal areas. The CCG ordered five {{convert|47|ft|m|1|adj=on}} motor lifeboats in September 2009, to add to the 31 existing boats.<ref name=MarineLog2009-09-03>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2009sep00032.html
| title=New vessels ordered for Canadian Coast Guard
| date=2009-09-03
| work=Marine Log
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906095700/http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2009sep00032.html
| archive-date=2009-09-06
| url-status=dead
|quote=These vessels will be the latest additions to the existing fleet of 31 47-foot motor lifeboats, introduced to the Canadian Coast Guard...
}}</ref> New vessels delivered to the CCG from 2009 onward included the hovercraft {{ship|CCGS|Mamilossa}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/npress-communique/2009/qr-rq45-eng.htm |title=Minister Shea Dedicates the New Hovercraft ACV Mamilossa |work=Fisheries and Oceans Canada |date=2009}}</ref> and the near-shore fisheries research vessels {{ship|CCGS|Kelso}}<ref>[http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?crtr.sj1D=&mthd=tp&crtr.mnthndVl=&nid=480299&crtr.dpt1D=&crtr.tp1D=1&crtr.lc1D=&crtr.yrStrtVl=&crtr.kw=&crtr.dyStrtVl=&crtr.aud1D=&crtr.mnthStrtVl=&crtr.yrndVl=&crtr.dyndVl= Canadian Coast Guard Commissions New Science Research Vessel in Burlington, Ontario] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928040412/http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?crtr.sj1D=&mthd=tp&crtr.mnthndVl=&nid=480299&crtr.dpt1D=&crtr.tp1D=1&crtr.lc1D=&crtr.yrStrtVl=&crtr.kw=&crtr.dyStrtVl=&crtr.aud1D=&crtr.mnthStrtVl=&crtr.yrndVl=&crtr.dyndVl= |date=September 28, 2011 }} Canadian News Centre. Accessed 5 July 2010.</ref> and {{ship|CCGS|Viola M. Davidson}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/50th_Anniversary/fleet-eng|title=Fleet additions over the last 50 years|publisher=Government of Canada |work=Fisheries and Oceans Canada |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119132714/http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/50th_Anniversary/fleet-eng |archivedate=2012-01-19 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Several major vessels have undergone extensive refits in recent decades, most notably {{ship|CCGS|Louis S. St-Laurent}} in place of procuring the Polar 8 class of icebreakers. 
[[File:CCGS Private Robertson V.C.jpg|thumb|left|CCGS ''Private Robertson V.C''. in [[Halifax Harbour]], in 2012. The ship was put in service that year.]]
In the first decade of the 21st century, CCG announced plans for the [[Mid Shore Patrol Vessel Project]] (a class of nine vessels)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/npress-communique/2009/hq-ac36-eng.htm |title=Minister Shea Leads Purchase of Nine New Coast Guard Vessels |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906082803/http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/npress-communique/2009/hq-ac36-eng.htm |archivedate=2009-09-06 |work=Fisheries and Oceans Canada |accessdate=5 July 2010}}</ref><ref name=CasrSfuCaMidshoreCcg>
{{cite web
 |url=https://www.sfu.ca/casr/doc-ccg-mid-shore-patrol-vessels.htm 
 |title=Mid-Shore Patrol Vessels – What Happened to MSPVs and Fisheries Research Vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard? 
 |publisher=[[Canadian American Strategic Review]] 
 |date=March 2007 
 |access-date=2008-02-01 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215125920/http://www.sfu.ca/casr/doc-ccg-mid-shore-patrol-vessels.htm 
 |archive-date=2007-12-15 
 |url-status=dead 
}}</ref><ref name=DfoMidShore>
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/backgrou/2007/hq-ac15c_e.htm 
 |title=12 Mid-shore Patrol Vessels 
 |publisher=[[Department of Fisheries and Oceans]] 
 |date=April 12, 2007 
 |access-date=2008-02-01 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105202930/http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/backgrou/2007/hq-ac15c_e.htm 
 |archive-date=2007-11-05 
 |url-status=dead 
}}</ref><ref name=TransportCanadaMarineSecurity>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/backgrounders/b05-M006e.htm
|title=Marine Security
|publisher=[[Transport Canada]]
|date=April 27, 2007
|access-date=2008-02-01
}}</ref> as well as a "Polar"-class icebreaker – since named {{ship|CCGS|Arpatuuq}} – in addition to inshore and offshore fisheries science vessels and a new oceanographic research vessel as part of efforts to modernize the fleet.

In 2012, the Government of Canada announced procurement of 24 helicopters to replace the current fleet.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Harper Government Launches Process to Modernize Coast Guard Helicopter Fleet |url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/harper-government-launches-process-to-modernize-coast-guard-helicopter-fleet-1692406.htm |date=August 20, 2012 |work=Fisheries and Oceans Canada |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419120620/http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/harper-government-launches-process-to-modernize-coast-guard-helicopter-fleet-1692406.htm |archivedate=2014-04-19 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Modernizing the Coast Guard's icebreakers====

The Coast Guard has acknowledged that it is not just ''Louis S. St. Laurent'' that is old, and needs replacing, all its icebreakers are old. Some critics have argued that with global warming, and the scramble for Arctic nations to document claims to a share of the Arctic Ocean seafloor, Canada lacked sufficient icebreakers. In 2018 the Coast Guard started to publicly search for existing large, capable icebreakers it could purchase. On August 13, 2018, the Coast Guard confirmed it would be buying and retrofitting three large, icebreaking, anchor-handling tugs, {{ship||Tor Viking}}, {{ship||Balder Viking}} and {{ship||Vidar Viking}} from Viking Supply Ships.<ref name=VikingSupply2018-08-11/><ref name=maritime-executive2018-08-13/>

On 22 May 2019, it was announced two more {{sclass|Harry DeWolf|offshore patrol vessel|1}}s will be built for the Canadian Coast Guard, in addition to the six being constructed for the [[Royal Canadian Navy]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberals-buy-arctic-trips-1.5144367 | title = Federal government to buy two more Arctic ships from Irving to prevent layoffs | date = 21 May 2019 | first = Lee | last = Berthiaume | work = CBC News |access-date=22 May 2019 }}</ref> Additionally, $15.7B was announced for the production of 16 additional multi-purpose vessels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2019/05/22/prime-minister-announces-renewal-canadian-coast-guard-fleet|title=Prime Minister announces renewal of Canadian Coast Guard fleet|date=2019-05-22|website=Prime Minister of Canada|language=en|access-date=2019-05-24}}</ref>

=== Integration and transition to the Department of National Defence ===
On June 9, 2025, Prime Minister [[Mark Carney]] announced that the CCG will receive funds for capital purchases that will count towards Canada spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence in accordance with the NATO target. There will be greater cooperation as 60 per cent of Coast Guard funding will go towards the GDP target, including $100&nbsp;million announced in the briefing.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brewster |first=Murray |date=9 June 2025 |title=Carney says Canada will meet 2% NATO spending target by March |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-canada-to-meet-two-per-cent-nato-1.7555928 |work=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref>

The Canadian Coast Guard was formally transferred to the Department of National Defence through an order-in-council on September 2, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Defence |first=National |date=2025-09-02 |title=National Defence Welcomes the Canadian Coast Guard to the Defence Team |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2025/09/national-defence-welcomes-the-canadian-coast-guard-to-the-defence-team.html |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=www.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Defence |first=National |date=2025-09-02 |title=Transition of the Canadian Coast Guard into National Defence |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/campaigns/transition-of-the-canadian-coast-guard-into-national-defence.html |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=www.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Press |first=Kyle Duggan The Canadian |date=2025-09-02 |title=Federal government begins to transfer Coast Guard to National Defence |url=https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/federal-government-begins-to-transfer-coast-guard-to-national-defence/article_e25288a9-038e-59f2-9669-b0bba93c9217.html |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Toronto Star |language=en}}</ref>

==Organizational structure==
CCG's management and organizational structure reflects its quasi-military nature. The CCG agency supports several functional departments as outlined here:
{{col div}}
* Operations Directorate
* National Strategies Directorate
* Integrated Technical Services Directorate
* Major Projects Directorate
* Integrated Business Management Services
{{col div end}}
===Quasi-military structure===
The Canadian Coast Guard is a civilian organization that is managed and funded by the Department of National Defence. The enforcement of laws in Canada's territorial sea is the responsibility of Canada's federal police force, the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) as all ocean waters in Canada are under federal (not provincial) jurisdiction. Saltwater fisheries enforcement is a specific responsibility of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Fisheries Officers.

CCG does not have a conventional paramilitary rank structure; instead, its rank structure roughly approximates that of the civilian [[Merchant navy|merchant marine]].

In late October 2010 the [[Stephen Harper]] government tabled a report that recommended that arming Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers should be considered.<ref name=NunatsiaqNews2010-10-23>{{cite news|url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/22333_tories_to_consider_arming_arctic-bound_coast_guard_ships/ |title=Tories to consider arming Arctic-bound coast guard ships |publisher=[[Nunatsiaq News]] |author=Randy Boswell |date=2010-10-21 |access-date=2010-10-23 |quote=The commitment to study the option of placing guns on coast guard ships was the highlight of the government's tabled response this week to recommendations in a report from the Senate fisheries committee about strengthening Canada's presence in the North. |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008190449/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/22333_tories_to_consider_arming_arctic-bound_coast_guard_ships/|archive-date=2011-10-08}}</ref> [[Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada|Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]] [[Gail Shea]] presented the government's response to a December 2009 report from the [[Senate of Canada|Senate's]] [[Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans|Fisheries Committee]], entitled ''"Controlling Canada's Arctic Waters: Role of the Canadian Coast Guard."''<ref name=ControllingCanadasArctic>{{cite news|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/40/2/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/fish-e/rep-e/rep07dec09-e.pdf|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20121016150207/http://www.parl.gc.ca/40/2/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/fish-e/rep-e/rep07dec09-e.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-10-16|title=Controlling Canada's Arctic Waters: Role of the Canadian Coast Guard|publisher=[[Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans]]|date=December 2009|page=12|access-date=2010-10-23|quote=The preface to this report tells how a foreign vessel, previously banished from Canada and with criminals among the crew, sailed undisturbed into the heart of Canada‟s Northwest Passage. Authorities noticed her only after she landed in Inuit communities. The Berserk II was a small vessel, but it raises a large question: how well does Canada control its Arctic waters?}}</ref> The Senate Committee's report had also recommended arming Canadian Coast Guard vessels in the Arctic. Randy Boswell, of the ''[[Canwest News Service]]'' quoted [[Michael Byers (Canadian academic)|Michael Byers]], an expert on the law of the sea, who used the phrase ''"quiet authority of a deck-mounted gun"''.<ref name=NunatsiaqNews2010-10-23/>

===Operational regions===
[[File:FEB 11 2021 Updated CCG Regional Map.jpg|alt=Map showing the operating regions of the Canadian Coast Guard (left to right): Western region (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon minus the Yukon North Slope), Arctic region (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Hudson Bay and James Bay), Central region (Ontario and Quebec) and Atlantic region (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island).|thumb|Map showing the operating regions of the Canadian Coast Guard (left to right): Western region (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon minus the Yukon North Slope), Arctic region (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Hudson Bay and James Bay), Central region (Ontario and Quebec) and Atlantic region (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island).]]
CCG as a whole is divided into four operational regions: Atlantic, Central, Western, and Arctic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/Home|title=Canadian Coast Guard – Home Page|publisher=Government of Canada |work=Fisheries and Oceans Canada}}</ref> The newest region, the Arctic, was established in October 2018. Previously responsibility for the Arctic areas of Canada was split between the three existing regions. The new unit includes a mandate which ensures increased support for Inuit communities, including search and rescue, icebreaking and for community resupply. The new region is headquartered in Yellowknife.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadian-coast-guard-to-increase-focus-on-arctic-through-creation-of/ |title=Canadian Coast Guard to increase focus on Arctic through creation of new branch |work=The Globe and Mail |agency=The Canadian Press |date=24 October 2018 |access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref>

===Auxiliary===
The CCG does not have a "reserve" element. There is a [[Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary]] (CCGA) which is a separate non-profit organization composed of some 5,000 civilian volunteers across Canada who support search and rescue activities. The CCGA, formerly the Canadian Marine Rescue Auxiliary (CMRA), is made up of volunteer recreational boaters and commercial fishermen who assist CCG with search and rescue as well as boating safety education. CCGA members who assist in SAR operations have their vessel insurance covered by CCG, as well as any fuel and operating costs associated with a particular tasking. The CCGA enables the CCG to provide marine SAR coverage in many isolated areas of Canada's coastlines without having to maintain an active base and/or vessels in those areas.

===Commissioner===
The head of CCG is called the "Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard". The rank of "Commissioner" is used in other Canadian federal agencies, such as the RCMP. However, rank and associated insignia are viewed differently in the CCG than in the Royal Canadian Navy. The commissioner is level 0.5 within the Department of National Defence's leadership hierarchy, a role equivalent to an associate deputy minister or the [[Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)|vice chief of the defence staff]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Defence |first=National |date=2025-09-02 |title=Canadian Coast Guard – DND Onboarding Package |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/campaigns/transition-of-the-canadian-coast-guard-into-national-defence/canadian-coast-guard-dnd-onboarding-package.html |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=www.canada.ca}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Commissioner<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/50th_Anniversary/commissioners-eng |title=Commissioners |publisher=[[Government of Canada]] |access-date=2012-01-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118070731/http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/50th_Anniversary/commissioners-eng |archive-date=2012-01-18 }}</ref> !! Term
|-
| Mario Pelletier || December 6, 2019 – Present (first commissioner to have graduated from the Canadian Coast Guard College)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/business/perspectives-on-business/shipping-news-coast-guard-cleans-up-its-mess-386587/|title=SHIPPING NEWS: Coast guard cleans up its mess {{!}} The Chronicle Herald|last=Ziobrowski|first=Peter|website=thechronicleherald.ca|language=en|access-date=2019-12-13}}</ref>
|-
| Jeffery Hutchinson || March 13, 2017 – December 6, 2019
|-
| [[Jody Thomas]]|| January 1, 2015 – March 13, 2017 (first female commissioner <ref>{{cite web|author=Paul Mcleod Ottawa Bureau |url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1275612-coast-guard-boss-is-first-woman-to-hold-position |title=Coast guard boss is first woman to hold position &#124; The Chronicle Herald |publisher=Thechronicleherald.ca |date=2014-08-19 |access-date=2015-03-20}}</ref>)
|-
| Marc Grégoire || June 28, 2010 – December 31, 2014
|-
| George Da Pont || May 9, 2006 – June 27, 2010
|-
| |John Adams || July 1, 1998 – May 8, 2006
|-
| David B. Watters || January 1, 1997 – June 30, 1998
|-
| John F. Thomas || July 1, 1993 – December 31, 1996
|-
| Ranald A. Quail || January 1, 1984 – June 30, 1993
|-
| Andrew L. Collier || July 1, 1980 – December 31, 1983
|-
| William A. O'Neil || January 1, 1975 – June 30, 1980
|}

==Facilities==
===Bases and stations===
[[File:Canadian Coast Guard - Quebec base 02.jpg|thumb|CCG Base Quebec building in [[Quebec City]], 2019]]
{{main|List of Canadian Coast Guard bases and stations}}

===Lighthouses===
[[File:Nova Scotia Brier Island north light & Coast Guard Station.jpg|thumb|[[Brier Island]] coast guard station and lighthouse, 2003]]
CCG operates one of the largest networks of navigational [[buoys]], [[lighthouses]] and [[foghorn]]s in the world. These facilities assist marine navigation on the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts as well as selected inland waterways. CCG represents Canada at the [[International Association of Lighthouse Authorities|International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities]] (IALA).

CCG completed a large-scale program of lighthouse automation and de-staffing which began in 1968 and was largely completed in the 1990s.<ref>''Lighthouses and Lights'' E.R. Irwin, Nimbus, 2003, p. viii</ref> The result of this program saw the automation of all lighthouses and the removal of light keepers except for a handful of stations in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick.

Budget cuts and technological changes in the marine shipping industry, such as the increased use of [[GPS]], electronic navigation charts and the [[Global Maritime Distress Safety System]], has led CCG to undertake several service reviews for aids to navigation in recent decades. Such reviews have resulted in the further decommissioning of buoys and shore-based light stations as well as a dramatic reduction in the number of foghorns.<ref name="heritagecanada.org">Heritage Canada Foundation, Presentation to the Standing Committee of fisheries and Oceans, {{cite web|url=http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/news/s220_brief.htm |title=Heritage Canada Foundation / Brief to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans |access-date=2011-08-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716212213/http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/news/s220_brief.htm |archive-date=2011-07-16 }}</ref>

Canadian lightkeepers were notified September 1, 2009 that upper management was once again commencing the de-staffing process. The first round, to be completed before the end of the fiscal year, was to include Trial Island, Entrance Island, Cape Mudge and Dryad Point. The second round included Green Island, Addenbroke, Carmanah Point, Pachena Pt and Chrome Island. The decision was taken without input or consultation from the public or user-groups in spite of the fact that during the last round of de-staffing the public and user-groups spoke vocally against cuts to this service. Once again a large outcry forced Minister of Fisheries Gail Shea to respond and on September 30, 2009, she suspended the de-staffing process pending a review of services lightkeepers provide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/statement-declarations/2009/20090930-eng.htm|title=Review of Automated Lightstation Staffing|date=December 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227215455/http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/statement-declarations/2009/20090930-eng.htm|archive-date=2010-12-27}}</ref>

===Historic facilities===
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans, on behalf of the Canadian Coast Guard, is the custodian of many significant heritage buildings, including the oldest lighthouse in North America, the [[Sambro Island Lighthouse]]. The department has selectively maintained some heritage lighthouses and permitted some alternative use of its historic structures. However, many historic buildings have been neglected and the department has been accused of ignoring and abandoning even federally recognized buildings. Critics have pointed out that the department has lagged far behind other nations such as the United States in preserving its historic lighthouses.<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts About Canada's Threatened Lighthouses|publisher=Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society|url=http://www.nslps.com/r&p_lighthouse_protection_act.asp#facts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041024223648/http://www.nslps.com/r%26p_lighthouse_protection_act.asp#facts|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-10-24}}</ref> These concerns have led community groups and heritage building advocates to promote the ''[[Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act]]'' in the Canadian Parliament.<ref name="heritagecanada.org"/>

==Equipment==
{{Main|List of equipment of the Canadian Coast Guard}}
[[File:CCGS Terry Fox in Botwood.jpg|thumb|{{CCGS|Terry Fox}} is one of two heavy icebreakers used by the Canadian Coast Guard.]]

==Navigational aid and services==
{{see also|List of Canadian Coast Guard MCTS Centres}}
The Canadian Coast Guard produces the Notice to Mariners (NOTMAR) publication which informs mariners of important navigational safety matters affecting Canadian waters. This electronic publication is published on a monthly basis and can be downloaded from the Notices to Mariners website. The information in the Notice to Mariners is formatted to simplify the correction of paper charts and navigational publications published by the [[Canadian Hydrographic Service]].

==Rank insignia and badges==
===Epaulettes===
Military [[epaulettes]] are used to represent ranks. In the CCG they represent levels of responsibility and commensurate salary levels. The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary epaulettes are similar except they use silver braid to distinguish them from the Canadian Coast Guard. 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!colspan=20|Canadian Coast Guard ranks and insignia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://solr.bccampus.ca:8001/bcc/file/54f6d753-6862-4449-8f69-d7818959c83c/1/Ship%20Repair%20Entry%20Level%20Training%20%28SRELT%29.zip/A%2004%20Hierarchy%20of%20Respective%20Customers/A04_CoastGaurd_ranks.html |title=Canadian Coast Guard Ensign and Levels of Responsibility |website=Canadian Coast Guard |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uniforminsignia.org/?option=com_insigniasearch&Itemid=53&result=2987|title=Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) |website=uniforminsignia.org |access-date=17 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://thenavigatormagazine.com/saltwater-in-the-veins-the-coast-guard-a-family-of-families/ |title=Saltwater in the Veins – The Coast Guard: A Family of Families |date=1 September 2015 |work=Navigator Magazine |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.marinelink.com/news/partnership-canadian407139 |title=US, Canadian Coast Guards Leaders Discuss Partnership |first=Eric |last=Haun |date=24 March 2016 |work=Marine Link |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dvidshub.net/image/3922771/us-canadian-coast-guards-meet-annual-ice-conference-cleveland |title=U.S., Canadian Coast Guards meet for annual ice conference in Cleveland |date=2 November 2017 |work=Defense Visual Information Distribution Service |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/2016/04/04/meet-jody-thomas-the-first-woman-to-head-canadian-coast-guard/54962 |title=Meet Jody Thomas, first woman to head the Canadian Coast Guard |first=Chelsea |last=Nash |date=4 April 2016 |work=The Hill Times |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
|-
!Rank
|[[Commissioner]]
|[[Deputy commissioner]]
|[[Assistant commissioner]]
|Officer Grade 13
|Officer Grade 12
|Officer Grade 11
|Officer Grade 10
|Officer Grade 09
|Officer Grade 08
|Officer Grade 07
|Officer Grade 06
|Officer Grade 05
|Officer Grade 04
|Officer Grade 03
|Officer Grade 02
|[[Cadet]] 4th year
|[[Cadet]] 3rd year
|[[Cadet]] 2nd year
|[[Cadet]] 1st year
|-
!Cuff insignia
|[[File:CCG Commissioner.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCG Deputy Commissioner.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCG Assistant Commissioner.svg|70px]]
|colspan=4|[[File:CCG 4 bar.svg|70px]]
|colspan=3|[[File:CCG 3 bar.svg|70px]]
|colspan=2|[[File:CCG 2.5 bar.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCG 2 bar.svg|70px]]
|colspan=2|[[File:CCG 1 bar.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCG 0.5 bar.svg|70px]]
|colspan=3|[[File:CCG Cadet.svg|70px]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!rowspan=2|Common rank name
|Commissioner
|Deputy commissioner
|Assistant commissioner / director general
|colspan=4|[[Captain (naval)|Captain]] / director
|colspan=3|[[Superintendent (police)|Superintendent]]
|colspan=2|[[Deputy superintendent]]
|colspan=3|Officer/specialist
|colspan=4|Cadet
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{lang|fr|Commissaire}}
|{{lang|fr|Sous commissaire}}
|{{lang|fr|Commissaire adjoint / directeur général}}
|colspan=4|{{lang|fr|Capitaine / directeur}}
|colspan=3|{{lang|fr|Surintendant}}
|colspan=2|{{lang|fr|Surintendant adjoint}}
|colspan=3|{{lang|fr|Officier}}
|colspan=4|{{lang|fr|Cadet}}
|}

Branch is denoted by coloured cloth between the gold braid. Deck officers, helicopter pilots, hovercraft pilots, JRCC/MRSC marine SAR controllers, and officers at the captain- / director-level and above do not wear any distinctive cloth.

<gallery class="center" widths="110px" heights="110px">
File:TRNG 2 Reg 1 Sm.gif| Training, royal blue
File:EL 2 Reg.gif| Electrical and Electronic, dark green
File:ENG 2 Reg.gif| Engineer, purple
File:IRB 2 Reg.gif| Incident Management and Vessels of Concern, orange
File:LOG 2 Reg.gif| Logistics and Supply, white
File:MED 2 Reg.gif| Medical, maroon
File:MET 2 Reg.gif| Meteorological, light blue
File:RAD 2 Reg.gif| Radio, emerald green
</gallery>

=== Auxiliary epaulettes ===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!colspan=20|[[Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary]] ranks and insignia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ccga-pacific.org/resources/Uniform_Policy_2006.pdf |title=Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary 2001 Uniform Policy |website=ccga-pacific.org/ |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uniforminsignia.org/?option=com_insigniasearch&Itemid=53&result=2988|title=Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) |website=uniforminsignia.org |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://blackburnnews.com/sarnia/sarnia-news/2017/08/16/sarnia-lambton-first-responders-condemn-float/ |title=Sarnia-Lambton First Responders Condemn Float Down |first=Melanie |last=Irwin |date=16 August 2017 |work=blackburnnews.com |access-date=17 May 2021 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>
|-
!Epaulette and cuff insignia
|[[File:CCGA National President.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCGA President.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCGA Vice President.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCGA Director.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCGA UTD-DTO-DPO.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCGA Unit Leader.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCGA Alt UL.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCGA UTO-UPO.svg|70px]]
|[[File:CCGA Employee Epaulette.png|145x145px]]
|[[File:CCGA Member Epaulette.png|145x145px]]
|-
!Rank
|National president
|President
|Vice president
|Director
|{{bulleted list|Alternate director||Advisor||District training officer||District prevention officer}}
|Unit leader
|Alternate unit leader
|Unit training officer<br />Unit prevention officer
|Employee
|Member
|-
!Rank
| {{lang|fr|Président national}}
| {{lang|fr|Président}}
| {{lang|fr|Vice-président}}
| {{lang|fr|Directeur}}
| {{lang|fr|Directeur suppléant}}
| {{lang|fr|Chef d'unité}}
| {{lang|fr|Chef d'unité suppléant}}
| {{lang|fr|Agent de formation d'unité/Agent de prévention d'unité}}
| 
| 
|-
|}

===Cap badges===
<gallery class="center" widths="150px" heights="150px">
File:Officers Cap Badge.gif| Officer
File:Petty Officers Cap Badge.gif| Petty officer
File:Crews Cap Badge.gif| Crew
</gallery>

===Qualification insignia===

<div style="font-size: 85%;" align="center">
<gallery widths="120px" heights="120px" perrow="5">
File:Deck.gif| Deck
File:Engine Room.gif| Engine room
File:Petty Officer.gif| Petty officer
File:Rescue Specialist.gif| Rescue specialist
File:Logistic.gif| Supply
</gallery>
</div>

===Medals, awards, and long service pins===
<gallery class="center" widths="150px" heights="150px">
File:Exemlpary Service.jpg| [[Canadian Coast Guard Exemplary Service Medal|Exemplary Service Medal]]
File:Comm Commendation.jpg| Commissioner's Commendation
File:Command at Sea Rosette Large Ship (33m or larger).png|Command at Sea Rosette Large Ship (33m or larger)
File:Command at Sea Rosette Small Ship (12m to 33m).png|Command at Sea Rosette Small Ship (12m to 33m) 
File:Chief Engineer at Sea Rosette Large Ship (33m or larger).png|Chief Engineer at Sea Rosette Large Ship (33m or larger)
File:Chief Engineer at Sea Rosette Small Ship (12m to 33m).png|Chief Engineer at Sea Rosette Small Ship (12m to 33m)
File:10 Years.jpg| 10 Year Long Service Pin
File:15 Years.jpg| 15 Year Long Service Pin
File:20 Years.jpg| 20 Year Long Service Pin
File:25 Years.jpg| 25 Year Long Service Pin
File:30 Years.jpg| 30 Year Long Service Pin
File:35 Years.jpg| 35 Year Long Service Pin
</gallery>

==Insignias and other representations==
{{multiple image|total_width=150|direction=vertical|image1=Coastguard Flag of Canada.svg|caption1=Coast Guard [[jack (flag)|jack]]<ref name=jack/>|alt1=|image2=Flag of the Governor-General of Canada-Coast Guard.svg|alt2=|caption2=Flag of the Honorary Chief Commissioner}}
As a special operating agency of the Government of Canada, the CCG uses generic identifiers imposed by the [[Federal Identity Program]]. However, the CCG is one of several federal departments and agencies (primarily those involved with law enforcement, security, or having a regulatory function) that have been granted heraldic symbols.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

The CCG badge was originally approved in 1962.<ref name=badge >{{cite web|url=https://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1589 |title=Canadian Coast Guard badge |work=Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada |publisher=Office of the Secretary to the Governor General |access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref> Blue symbolizes water, white represents ice, and dolphins are considered a friend of mariners. The [[Latin]] motto {{lang|la|Saluti Primum, Auxilio Semper}} translates as "Safety First, Service Always".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/History|title=Canadian Coast Guard – History|publisher=Government of Canada |work=Fisheries and Oceans Canada|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707234617/http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/History|archive-date=2015-07-07}}</ref>

In addition to the Coast Guard [[jack (flag)|jack]],<ref name=jack>{{cite web|url=https://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1590&ProjectElementID=5319 |title=Canadian Coast Guard jack |work=Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada |publisher=Office of the Secretary to the Governor General |access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref> distinctive flags have been approved for use by senior CCG officials, including the Honorary Chief Commissioner (the [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]]) and the [[Minister of Transport (Canada)|Minister of Transport]].<ref name=GG>{{cite web|url=http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1590 |title=Canadian Coast Guard |work=Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada |publisher=Office of the Secretary to the Governor General |access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref> The [[Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary]] was granted a flag and badge by the [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=2331 |title=Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary |work=Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada |publisher=Office of the Secretary to the Governor General |access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[National Search and Rescue Program]]
* [[North Pacific Coast Guard Agencies Forum]]
* [[Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton]]
* [[Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax]]
** successor to [[Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre St. John's]]
* [[Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria]]
* [[Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre Quebec]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=VikingSupply2018-08-11>
{{Cite web
| url         = http://www.vikingsupply.com/newsarticle/sale-of-ships-including-write-down-of-certain-book-values-in-q2-and-guiding-of-an-expected-loss-in-h2%5B%5Bexternal%5D%5D/3012767
| title       = Viking Supply Ships
| website     = www.vikingsupply.com
| access-date = 2018-08-11
}}
</ref>

<ref name=maritime-executive2018-08-13>
{{cite news     
| url         = https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/canada-buys-commercial-icebreakers-for-its-coast-guard#gs.an2JPBE
| title       = Canada Buys Commercial Icebreakers for its Coast Guard
| work        = Maritime Executive
| date        = 2018-08-13
| access-date  = 2018-08-15
| quote       = On Monday, Norwegian harsh-environment OSV operator Viking Supply Ships announced that it has sold three icebreaking anchor handlers to the government of Canada, which will retrofit them for use by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). 
}}
</ref>
}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Canadian Coast Guard}}
* [https://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/index-eng.html Official website]
* [http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/USQUE_Table_Contents "Usque Ad Mare" A History of the Canadian Coast Guard and Marine Services]
* [http://www.marinfo.gc.ca "Marinfo" Canadian Coast Guard homepage – Quebec Region]

{{Government agencies of Canada}}
{{Coast guards}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Canadian Coast Guard| ]]
[[Category:Federal departments and agencies of Canada]]
[[Category:Fisheries and Oceans Canada]]
[[Category:Coast guards]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1962]]
[[Category:Uniformed services of Canada]]
[[Category:1962 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Special operating agencies of Canada|Coast_Guard, Canadian]]