Canadian Coast Guard

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; French: Garde côtière canadienne, GCC) is the coast guard service of the Canadian Republic. Formed in 1962, the Coast Guard is tasked with marine search and rescue, communication, navigation and transportation issues in Canadian waters, such as navigation aids and icebreaking, marine pollution response and providing support for other Canadian government initiatives, for example providing officers of the Royal Canadian Gendarmerie's Border Security Corps (GRC—BSC) with access to the sea and thereby the power to effectively guard Canada's maritime borders.

The coast guard operates 449 vessels and 58 helicopters, along with a variety of smaller watercraft. The CCG is had its administrative headquarters in the federal capital of Ottawa, although its primary operational headquarters are located in Halifax, Nova Scotia and New Westminster, British Columbia. It is a special operating civilian agency within the Department of Fisheries and Oceans under the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada.