Tab B – Department 101

Department overview

A mandate that directly impacts the day-to-day lives of Canadians

The Department’s mandate facilitates positive change and achieves meaningful results that are felt across the country.

• enabling sustainable growth in the ocean economy
• supporting the social and economic well- being of Canada’s coastal communities
• strengthening nation-to-nation relationships with Indigenous peoples
• protecting the long- term health of aquatic environments and species
• ensuring safety and aiding navigation throughout Canada’s waterways
• pursuing international leadership on fisheries and oceans

Informs key decisions on a broad range of priorities

Supporting Departmental Priorities

Fisheries management

Deciding who may access fisheries as a public resource, as well as where, when, and how many fish are harvested.

Environment

Taking action to conserve and protect species, ecosystems and the marine environments, including marine pollution response.

Economic prosperity

Working with fishers, coastal, and Indigenous communities to enable their continued prosperity from fish and seafood resources.

Safety

Making sure Canadians are able to safely use and travel our oceans, lakes, and rivers.

Indigenous rights

Taking steps to further a constructive relationship with Indigenous peoples.

International

Advancing Canada's objectives and interests with international partners and on the world stage.

Departmental programs and services support four overarching priorities

Fisheries

Ensure Canada’s fisheries, including aquaculture, are protected, managed sustainably, and support Indigenous participation, while ensuring a national network of harbours is open and in good repair.

Aquatic Ecosystems

Protecting oceans, freshwater, and aquatic ecosystems and species from negative human impact and invasive species through sound science and in collaboration with Indigenous communities.

Marine navigation

Maintain waterways year round so they are safely navigable by mariners and all Canadians.

Marine operations and response

Respond to maritime incidents, such as search-and-rescue and environmental emergencies, through our Coast Guard fleet and in collaboration with Indigenous communities.

A highly operational and service-oriented department

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Day-to-day, DFO employees:

• manage commercial, recreational, and Indigenous fisheries
• provide frontline services to Canadians, such as issuing licences
• keep Canada’s small craft harbours open and in good repair
• protect marine ecosystems, habitats, and aquatic species
• conduct marine science and research

Canadian Coast Guard

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) is a special operating agency within Fisheries and Oceans Canada

CCG personnel:

• ensure safe water travel
• engage in search and rescue
• provide icebreaking services
• respond to marine pollution incidents
• support marine science and research

With a strong workforce possessing a range of skills and expertise

The Department has approximately 13,000 employees across Canada (including Coast Guard personnel).

Day-to-day operations rely on a strong workforce with a wide range of skills and expertise, including:

• fisheries officers
• scientists
• biologists
• vessel crews
• economists
• analysts
• surveyors
• negotiators
• search and rescue specialists
• marine security advisors
• environmental experts
• hydrographers

An important regional presence

As a highly operational organization, over 75 per cent of employees work outside the National Capital Region (NCR) to deliver direct services to Canadians.

With over 350 work locations across the country, frontline departmental staff are often the main or only federal presence in Canada’s coastal communities.

In addition to the NCR, DFO is comprised of seven regions (Arctic, Gulf, Maritimes, Newfoundland & Labrador, Quebec, Pacific, and Ontario and Prairies), with an additional four Coast Guard regions (Central, Western, Atlantic, and Arctic).

In 2018, DFO/CCG established new dedicated Arctic Regions to advance Indigenous reconciliation and to reflect the Arctic’s growing economic and environmental importance to Canada. The former DFO/CCG Central and Arctic region are now respectively called the Ontario and Prairie Region (DFO) and the Central Region (CCG).

The department manages major program investments and a substantial asset base

Departmental funding

• as a highly operational department, the majority of funding is allocated to operating and capital expenditures and grants and contributions
• initiatives such as the Oceans Protection Plan (OPP) have provided additional funding to support departmental priorities

Departmental assets

• asset base is valued at $44.6 billion (2019), the second largest of any federal department
• one of the largest federal property portfolios, with over 85 per cent of capital budget investments in CCG fleet, small craft harbours, and real property

Budgetary planning

• the 2021-22 main estimates forecast spending of nearly $4.38 billion, in order to meet core responsibilities, as well as provide internal services

Core responsibility and 2021-22 estimates

• marine Operations and  Response $1.54 billion
• fisheries $1.64 billion
• marine Navigation $333 million
• aquatic Ecosystems $341 million
• internal Services $530 million

Science plays a key role in supporting decision making

Science is front and centre at DFO to support evidence-based decision-making.

Sustainable development: a strong science and evidence-base supports the responsible use of ocean resources, including fisheries, aquaculture, and offshore development.

Conservation and protection: assessments of habitat, species at risk, aquatic invasive species, and other ecosystem factors informs policy, enhances programs, and supports marine protected areas.

Oceans management: scientific data supports ocean governance and marine spatial planning, and hydrographic services enable safe navigation through Canada’s waterways.

Environmental monitoring: scientific research and monitoring on environmental changes to support fisheries and aquatic ecosystem management and marine operations and responses.

Regular engagement with stakeholders, Indigenous partners, and other governments

Fish Harvesters

Ensure fair access and allocation of fisheries resources to commercial harvesters; manage and administer licences; and, balance sustainability measures with positive economic outcomes.

Marine Sectors

Enable robust economic activity and trade via marine shipping and transport, marine safety, and aids to navigation; affirm Canada’s position in global fish and seafood markets.

Indigenous Groups

Support expanded access to fisheries resources; provide greater agency and autonomy in decision-making; and, increase partnerships in ocean governance.

Provinces & Territories

Jointly manage freshwater fisheries, ecosystems, and waterways with provincial and territorial governments and work collaboratively to address important issues within their jurisdiction.

International Partners

Demonstrate Canadian leadership; promote Canada’s international trade agenda; advance Canadian priorities for international fisheries; and, engage domestic stakeholders on international issues.

ENGOs

Advance environmental conservation; strengthen protections for species at risk; enhance sustainability requirements for fisheries; build environmental response capacity.

Canadian Coast Guard Overview and Programs
Safety First, Service Always

Coast Guard: What we do

• Coast Guard is the lead federal agency responsible for ensuring marine safety throughout Canadian waters, including engaging in search and rescue and marine pollution response operations.
• Coast Guard supports Canada’s ocean economy by enabling: the safe and efficient flow of $251B in marine trade; the handling of more than 342M tonnes of critical goods; and, supporting tens of thousands of jobs across Canada.
• In recognition of its specific mandate, Coast Guard was established as a Special Operating Agency (SOA) within Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2005.

Coast Guard’s mandate is derived from the Oceans Act, the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, and the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act.

• Marine search and rescue
• Marine navigation
• Marine communications and traffic management
• Hazerdous vessels
• Icebreaking and ice-management
• Marine pollution response
• Support to DFO programs and other government organizations

From coast to coast to coast

• Coast Guard’s responsibility covers 243,000 km of Canada’s coastline, the longest in the world
• our vessels and aircraft operate over approximately 5.3 million km² of ocean and inland waters

On an average day, the Coast Guard:

• coordinates 19 search and rescue incidents
• assists 43 people in search and rescue responses
• saves 13 lives through on water response
• manages 1,100 vessel movements
• carries out 11 fisheries patrols
• supports 11 scientific surveys
• deals with 3 pollution events
• surveys 3.5 km of navigation channel bottom

Coast Guard Regions

Description

Western: 1,370 FTEs

• 7 Operational Bases
• 13 SAR Stations
• 4 Seasonal IRB stations
• 5 Staffed ER Depots
• 2 MCTS Centres
• 1 JRCC
• 1 ROC
• 3,856 Aids to Navigation
• 27 Staffed Lightstations

Arctic: 102 FTEs

• 1 MCTS Centre
• 1 IRB Station
• 1 Staffed ER Depot
• Hay River Base
• 1,930 AtoN
• 11 remote Communication Sites
• 3 AIS, 24 ER caches, 1 RAT
• 1 Regional HQ Office (Yellowknife)

Atlantic: 2,125 FTEs

• 3 Operational Bases
• 14 SAR Stations
• 9 seasonal IRB Stations
• 1 JRCC
• 1 MRSC
• 1ROC

Central: 1,610 FTEs

• 11 Operational Bases
• 15 SAR Stations
• 13 Seasonal IRB stations
• 4 Staffed ER Depots
• 4 MCTS Centres
• 1 JRCC
• 1 MRSC
• 1 ROC
• 6,801 Aids to Navigation

NCR / College: 1,244 FTEs (Ottawa, ON)

Coast Guard College (Sydney, NS)

• 5 Staffed ER Depots
• 5 MCTS Centres
• 6,675 Aids to Navigation
• 24 Staffed Lighthouses

Note: FTEs accounted for above represent the planned workforce as per Coast Guard’s approved 2020-21 Business Plan

The Arctic Region is inclusive of the Yukon North slope, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and Hudson and James Bay. This boundary is inclusive of Inuit Nunangat.

The Western Region consists of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Yukon, minus the Yukon slope.

The Central Region consists of Ontario and Quebec, minus the Nunavik region in northern Quebec.

The Atlantic Region consists of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador, minus the Nunatsiavut region in Labrador.

Fleet

• 117 Vessels*
• 22 Helicopters
• 26 x Large Vessels
• 35 x Small Vessels
• 52 x SAR Lifeboats
• 4 x Air Cushion Vehicles
• 22 x Helicopters

(as of 8/20/2021)
* In addition, the fleet is supplemented by two leased Emergency Towing Vessels on the West Coast.

Our People and the College

Our People

• with approximately 6,450 employees, CCG makes up approx. 50% of the departmental FTE; 84% working in the regions; 75% of whom are directly on the frontlines delivering Coast Guard essential services to Canadians
• coast Guard is organized among four regions: Atlantic, central, Arctic and Western
• as we are renewing our fleet with new technologically advanced vessels and modernizing our services, the Canadian Coast Guard is committed to building a workforce that reflects the Canadian mosaic and has the expertise, training and competencies to ensure that the Canadian Coast Guard remains a world class institution for the 21st Century

Canadian Coast Guard College

• The Canadian Coast Guard College is the center of training excellence for the Canadian Coast Guard that provides and develops unique and specialized training
• the College is responsible for the development of various national standardized training curriculums that will support the transitions to new technologies and simulated and distanced learning intended as part of ongoing modernization initiatives

Coast Guard asset management

Shore-based asset readiness

Ensure Coast Guard shore-based assets are available, capable, and reliable to support the delivery of the following Coast Guard programs:

• Marine Communication and Traffic Services (MCTS)
• Aids to Navigation (AtoN)
• Environmental Response (ER)

Manage the following assets throughout their entire life cycle:

• 12 MCTS centres and 184 remote communication sites (including radios, radars, towers, buildings, and operational systems)
• 17,000 fixed and floating aids to navigation (including buoys, day marks, range lights, beacons, lanterns and fog systems)
• environmental response specialized vehicles, incident command trailers, booms, oil skimmers, and other equipment

Fleet Maintenance

• ensure Coast Guard vessels, air cushioned vehicles, and small craft are available, capable, and reliable to deliver Coast Guard programs, through life cycle management process (including maintenance, in-service engineering, and disposal services)
• sustain operational capabilities through a comprehensive Vessel Life Extension Program pending delivery of new vessels under the Fleet Renewal Plan

Marine Search and Rescue (SAR)

The Coast Guard is the federal lead for marine search and rescue in Canada.

• Coast Guard provides 24/7/365 SAR services in partnership with National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF), and over 4,000 volunteer members of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary.
• SAR incidents are coordinated by three Joint Rescue Coordination Centres (JRCC) and two Maritime Rescue Sub-Centres. The JRCC's are managed by CAF and jointly staffed with Coast Guard and CAF personnel.
• SAR resources across Canada:
  • 3 Joint Rescue Coordination Centres
  • 2 Maritime Rescue Sub-Centres
  • 45 SAR stations - including a dedicated hovercraft station (Sea Island, BC)
  • 1 dive team (available 24/7)
  • 26 seasonal inshore rescue boats
  • 6 offshore SAR patrol mode vessels

Aids to Navigation and Waterways

The Coast Guard facilitates safe navigation through Canadian waters

• ensuring smooth and uninterrupted flow of goods along waterways
• maintaining over 17,000 aids to navigation
• providing navigational safety information to mariners
• surveying channel conditions, and informing mariners of water depths, currents, and levels

Marine Communications and Traffic Services

183 remote communication sites which include 11 in the Arctic to support Coast Guard services.

12 Marine Communications and Traffic Service centres:

• monitor radio frequencies and respond to calls for assistance
• broadcast maritime safety information
• regulate marine traffic in designated waterways
• provide navigational information and assistance
• screen vessels and issue clearance to ships prior to entry into Canadian waters

Icebreaking and Ice-Management

During winter, 14 icebreakers and two air cushioned vehicles operate in southern Canada. During the summer, an average of seven vessels operate in the Arctic.

• enables commerce on the east coast, St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes
• ensures year-round ferry service
• escorts ships through ice covered waters
• supports flood prevention
• clears ice from harbours and wharves
• supports Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic
• supplies remote communities
• supports Arctic economic development
• provides ice information and routing advice
• works closely with the United States Coast Guard in transboundary water

Marine Pollution Response

Environmental Response (ER)

• Coast Guard ensures an appropriate response to all reports of ship-source pollution and mystery-source spills
• public-private partnership that adheres to the Polluter Pays Principle.
• integrating science and local Indigenous knowledge into preparedness and response activities
• 97 ER equipment depot sites across Canada.
• Coast Guard assumes on-water presence when the polluter is unavailable, unable, or unwilling to do so

Hazardous Vessels

Vessels of Concern (VOC)

• the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act (WAHVA), which came into force on July 30, 2019, gives Coast Guard new authorities and provides strict liability to hold vessels owners accountable
• Coast Guard is responsible for maintaining a national inventory of VOCs which includes approximately 2000 vessels in Canadian waters. The authorities for addressing the hazards posed by those vessels are discretionary and shared among Coast Guard, DFO, and Transport Canada
• the implementation of the program will help prevent the occurrence of new problem vessels and make progress in cleaning up existing problem vessels
• TC and Coast Guard are working together to establish a long-term fund to remove the burden from the taxpayers

Maritime Security

The Coast Guard is often the only federal presence in Canada’s waters, most notably in the Arctic. This presence contributes to security and promotes Canadian sovereignty.

Coast Guard plays a critical role in supporting Canada’s maritime and national security by:

• creating national maritime domain awareness by contributing sensor information and expert analysis in Canada’s three Marine Security Operations Centres
• providing patrol vessels, helicopters and personnel to support DFO and the RCMP
• contributing to global maritime security and safety, and supporting Canada’s overseas priorities
• providing and managing intelligence and information to support Coast Guard decision-making and operations; and
• engaging with federal and international partners to ensure a coherent approach to national and allied maritime security

Partnerships

Coast Guard provides operational platforms and expertise to several federal partners, including:

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Vessel platforms to various programs such as Science, Oceans Conservation and Protection, and the Canadian Canada Hydrographic Service

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Supports law enforcement agencies, such as through the Canada-U.S. Shiprider Program, which removes the international maritime boundary as a barrier to law enforcement by enabling seamless continuity of enforcement and security operations across the border

Transport Canada

Supports the enforcement of marine regulations

Internal collaboration

Coast Guard maintains strong partnerships with a number of countries, most notably, the United States and participates in various multilateral fora

• Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF)
• North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum (NACGF)
• North Pacific Coast Guard Forum (NPCGF)
• Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) working group of the Arctic Council, where Coast Guard is serving as international chair (2021 – 2023) and Head of the Canadian delegation

The Coast Guard is engaged in a variety of capacity building activities:

• personnel cross-training assignments (e.g., Korean Coast Guard)
• instructor participation in training courses (e.g., Chile’s Advanced Training for Ships Operating in Polar Waters)
• deployment of mentors to exercises (e.g., CUTLASS EXPRESS and OBANGAME EXPRESS)
• participation in capacity building meetings and working groups (e.g., the G7++ Friends of Gulf of Guinea meetings and virtual working groups, and the Maritime Security Working Group)

The Coast Guard also participates in numerous international committees to consider the use of standards, strategies, and technologies in Canada.

• International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities
• International Maritime Organization’s sub-committee on Navigation Communication and Search and Rescue
• International Hydrographic Organization’s World Wide Navigational Warning Service sub-committee

Key Initiatives

Fleet Renewal: Coast Guard has received approval and funding for 2 polar icebreakers, [Information was severed in accordance with the Access to Information Act.] large ships and [Information was severed in accordance with the Access to Information Act.] small ships to replace existing vessels as they retire and ensure that Coast Guard retains full operational capacity to fulfill its mandate.

The National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) guides procurement decisions for the Coast Guard fleet, including construction, repair, refit and maintenance work.

Decisions to date

Five large vessels were approved and funded when the NSS was announced in 2010:

• three offshore fisheries science vessels have been delivered
• one offshore oceanographic science vessel is currently under construction at Vancouver Shipyards
• one polar icebreaker is in progress with Vancouver Shipyards, with expected delivery in 2030

Between 2005 and 2012, 34 small vessels were also approved and funded; 24 have been delivered.

In 2019, DFO secured funding for an additional 24 CCG large vessels:

• 16 multi-purpose vessels, to be built by Vancouver Shipyards
• two arctic offshore patrol ship variants, to be built by Irving’s Halifax Shipyard
• six program icebreakers, with a competitive process to add a third Canadian shipyard to the NSS

In May 2021, DFO secured funding to complete the full renewal of the Coast Guard fleet:

• another polar icebreaker, to be built at the third NSS shipyard
• [Information was severed in accordance with the Access to Information Act.]
• [Information was severed in accordance with the Access to Information Act.]

Annex: Coast Guard Partnerships

Partners

• federal departments (e.g., DFO, DND/CAF, TC, RCMP, ECCC, NRCan, CBSA, Public Safety)
• Indigenous governments and organizations:
  • Indigenous and coastal communities
  • Regional and national Indigenous groups/associations (e.g., First Nations Emergency Management Network)
• The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary
• other levels of government (provinces, territories, municipalities)
• industry

Clients

• canadians
• mariners
• fish harvesters
• local communities
• recreational boaters
• ferry operators

Think Tanks / Academia

• Clear Seas
• Universities and colleges across Canada
• CCGS Amundsen / Science
• ActicNet
• MEOPAR

International

• International bodies
  • International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA)
  • International Maritime Organization (IMO)
  • International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
• Regional Fora (e.g., Arctic, North Atlantic, North Pacific)
• Arctic Council/EPPR
• Coast Guard Global Summit
• Bilateral cooperation and capacity-building
  • US; Norway; Denmark; Chile; South Korea

Senior Officials: Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Description

ADM: Assistant Deputy Minister

RDG: Regional Director General

EA: Executive Advisor

Deputy Minister: Timothy Sargent

• Chief of Staff: Jody Proctor
• Departmental Assistant: Johanna Hill

Associate Deputy Minister: Lawrence Hanson

• EA: Nathalie Altherr

Sector heads

Senior ADM, Strategic Policy: Niall O’Dea

• EA: Erin Wilson

Senior ADM, Fisheries Harbour Management: J.-G. Forgeron

• EA: Sarah Hampel

ADM, Aquatic Ecosystems: Alexandra Dostal

• EA: Julie Richter

ADM, Ecosystems and Ocean Science: Arran McPherson

• EA: Stephanie McGill

ADM and Chief Financial Officer: Hugo Page

• EA: Johanne Mongrain

ADM, Human Resources and Corporate Services: Dominic Laporte

• EA: Syed Husainy

Senior General Counsel: Caroline Clark

Chief Audit Executive: Leslie Levita

• EA: Janice Carkner

Canadian Coast Guard

Commissioner: Mario Pelletier

• Chief of Staff: Miriam Trudeau                  

Deputy Commissioner, Shipbuilding and Material: Andy Smith

• EA: Annie Bisaillon

Deputy Commissioner, Operations : Chris Henderson

• EA: Gaston Doucette

Assistant Commissioner, Western Region: Roger Girouard

• EA: Connie Gress

Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region: Neil O’Rourke

• EA: Tanis Hunter

Assistant Commissioner, Central Region: Marc-André Meunier

• EA: Stacy Poulin

Assistant Commissioner, Atlantic Region: Gary Ivany

• EA: Wanda Tremblett

Regional heads

RDG, Pacific Region: Rebecca Reid

• EA: Kirsten Lawrie

RDG, Maritimes Region: Doug Wentzell

• EA: Pauline Rossignol

A/RDG, Newfoundland and Labrador Region: Tony Blanchard

• EA: Terrena White

RDG, Gulf Region: Serge Doucet

• EA: Manon Diotte

A/RDG, Quebec Region: Sylvain Vézina

• EA: Genevieve Couturier-Dubé

RDG, Ontario and Prairie Region: Michelle Langan

• EA: Cindy Scale

RDG, Arctic Region: Gabriel Nirlungayuk

• EA: Aimee Nagy