Canadian Coast Guard becomes part of country’s defense team

September 4, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) has announced the integration of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) into the defense team, marking an important step forward in strengthening Canada’s maritime security.

By joining the National Defence, the CCG will add its capabilities to efforts that protect Canada’s sovereignty. This transition also includes key personnel from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to bring greater collaboration across departments in support of Canada’s maritime priorities.

This change will enhance coordination across government and ensure Canada is even better prepared to safeguard its waters and coastline.

“I am honoured to welcome the Canadian Coast Guard to the Defence Team. This transition is an important step that will allow us to better coordinate our efforts at sea, strengthen our response to new and evolving threats, and ensure the safety and security of Canadians. By working more closely together, we are building on a trusted partnership and enhancing Canada’s ability to protect its waters and sovereignty,” David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defense, said.

“For more than 60 years, the Canadian Coast Guard has stood as one of Canada’s most trusted and respected institutions. That trust is built every day by the dedicated people who are the backbone of this proud organization. This move will help strengthen joint operations with security and intelligence partners, enabling us to respond more quickly and keep communities safe,” Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries, commented.

In 2005, the CCG was established as a special operating agency, a national institution and operator of the Government of Canada’s civilian fleet.

According to the officials, the CCG will remain a civilian special operating agency, with no change to its status. It will continue to play its role in search and rescue, icebreaking, environmental response, safe navigation, and ocean science, it was highlighted.

To complement and build on this transition, the Government of Canada has also proposed expanding the CCG’s services to include maritime security activities under Bill C-2, which is currently before Parliament. With this, the CCG will be positioned to do even more to protect Canadians at sea and support national security, the government stated.

Through this integration, the CCG, DND, and the Canadian Armed Forces will be able to work more closely, sharing information and coordinating operations to meet emerging challenges. This is especially important in the Arctic and other regions where cooperation is essential.

As of July 2025, the CCG’s fleet of 126 vessels includes icebreakers, search and rescue lifeboats, patrol ships, science vessels, hovercraft and more.

To remind, last month Seaspan started the next step in the design and engineering phase of the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) multi-purpose icebreakers (MPI) program, by completing the functional design review. The CCG intends to build up to 16 MPIs, broken down into three flights, with variations in each flight’s mission profile and overall make-up.