Natural disaster or security incident response in Canada is generally the responsibility of local and provincial governments , who may come to require the help of the federal government . In such cases , and at the explicit request of the Minister of Public Safety , Canada Command could allocate military resources to assist civil authorities in humanitarian capacity , and if the Emergencies Act was activated , in peace enforcement capacity . The command could also be called to coordinate military resources in support of law enforcement and federal agencies as part of an Integrated Security Unit during large national events . This was the case during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics , the 2010 G-8 Huntsville summit and the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit . Routine operations conducted by Canada Command included the deployment of support elements to various Royal Canadian Mounted Police operations , Fisheries and Oceans Canada 's Canadian Coast Guard in sea and coastal patrol and the war on drugs in the Caribbean , and Parks Canada in security enforcement and avalanche control . The command was also the main coordinator of joint exercises , such as the annual Operation Nanook , and a multitude of field exercises and manoeuvres . The control and coordination of military resources placed under Canada Command was assumed at the national level and through six regional task forces : Federal search and rescue ( SAR ) in Canada is managed by the Department of National Defence 's autonomous National Search and Rescue Secretariat in collaboration with a multitude of agencies , among them the Canadian Forces . Using assets generated and maintained by the Royal Canadian Air Force and the civilian Canadian Coast Guard , Canada Command assumed operational control of the primary SAR response providers through three Search and Rescue Regions ( SRRs ) and their associated coordination centres : Canada Command was created on 1 February 2006 as part of a restructuring of the Canadian Forces . Prior to the establishment of the command , national contingency and routine operations were carried directly by the three environmental services ( Navy , Army , Air Force ) . The North American ice storm of 1998 and the September 11 attacks showed a need for a more efficient and coherent organization to coordinate military resources with civil authorities and the United States . Since its creation , Canada Command has conducted humanitarian operations in Newfoundland , Quebec , Ontario and Manitoba , in fighting floods , repairing critical infrastructure , recovering drivers stuck in severe winter storms , and conducting evacuation of threatened communities
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Canada Command