Question Period Note: Search and Rescue Policies and Programs

• Search and Rescue (SAR) is part of the continuum of emergencies and fits into Canada’s whole-of-government and whole-of-society Emergency Management Framework and Strategy.
• The Government of Canada is responsible for responding to aeronautical and maritime SAR incidents, coordinating national SAR policy frameworks, supporting SAR initiatives, and establishing policies and programs.

• Search and Rescue is a crucial emergency service, and the government dedicated to enhancing search and rescue to reduce the risk of injury or loss of life for Canadians.

• Responsibility for search and rescue is shared among federal, provincial, territorial and local authorities as well as volunteer organizations.

• Public Safety Canada plays a leadership role in search and rescue by coordinating national policy frameworks and programs through the National Search and Rescue Secretariat, supporting search and rescue initiatives via the Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund, standardizing Heavy Urban Search and Rescue activities, and appoints Canada’s Permanent Representative to the international COSPAS-SARSAT Programme.

• These efforts enhance search and rescue capabilities, foster interoperability, and ensure timely distress alert responses, saving lives and advancing search and rescue effectiveness nationwide.

Roles and responsibilities regarding aeronautical, maritime and ground SAR response in Canada
• Public Safety Canada’s (PS) National Search and Rescue Secretariat coordinates the development of strategic national SAR policy frameworks and programs in cooperation with partners. Additionally, through the Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund, PS supports initiatives to improve SAR and helps organizations develop meaningful and impactful advances for SAR.
• The Public Safety-led National Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) Program recognizes six HUSAR task forces across the country and coordinates cost-shared federal investments for specific domestic initiatives or projects. PS is working to standardize HUSAR activities across Canada and foster interoperability between task forces.
• PS serves as Canada’s permanent representative to the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (COSPAS-SARSAT) Programme. It is an international satellite-based, distress-alerting system that detects, locates and distributes distress alerts used by SAR responders around the world. The system is critical to saving lives and reducing the time between the detection of a distress alert to the delivery of SAR services.
• The Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience, while having the responsibility for establishing policies, programs, and sharing best practices for SAR, does not have operational authority for federal SAR resources. The Ministers of each department or agency having SAR-related mandates are ultimately responsible for their department's participation and operations within Canada’s SAR system and are the lead spokespersons for their organization.
• Provinces and territories are responsible for providing response to ground SAR incidents. This responsibility is often delegated to the police of jurisdiction.

If Pressed
Q1- Public Safety Canada’s Role in Search and Rescue Operations
• Responsibility for search and rescue is shared horizontally among federal, provincial, territorial and local authorities as well as volunteer organizations.
• The federal government, through the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard are responsible for responding to aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (SAR) incidents.
• Provinces and territories are responsible for providing response to ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) incidents. This responsibility is often delegated to the police of jurisdiction.
• Public Safety Canada (PS) does not have an operational role in SAR, however, support through the Government Operations Centre (GOC) may be requested for additional or unusual resources.
• PS through the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) provides national level leadership in fostering a resilient and effective response system and advancing initiatives that enhance safety, preparedness, and mutual support.
Q2- Search and Rescue in Indigenous Communities
• Responsibility for a SAR response lies with the police agency having jurisdiction in most communities.
• Canada’s National SAR system is dedicated to seamless search and rescue and requests for assistance through provincial/territorial support or requests for assistance for federal SAR support are available where appropriate.
Q3- Interprovincial deploy ability of Heavy Urban Search and Rescue assets
• Canada’s 6 Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) Task Forces are based in Vancouver, Calgary, Manitoba, Toronto, Montréal, and Halifax.
• These resources are municipally or provincially owned.
• The HUSAR National Concept of Operations provides critical information and lays out the mechanisms required to request and receive support between provincial and territorial jurisdictions.
• PS through a provincial or territorial request for assistance may provide support in accessing the unique capabilities of HUSAR Task Forces in alignment with the given needs of an emergency.
Q4- Government of Canada Support for Search and Rescue Volunteers
• SAR volunteers represented by their national associations - the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC), provide support to those organizations with authorities and responsibilities in each of the three SAR jurisdictions – aeronautical, maritime and GSAR respectively.
• Funding is provided by the Government of Canada to each of the national SAR volunteer associations through the Department of National Defense, Canadian Armed Forces, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canadian Coast Guard, and PS.
• SAR volunteers are eligible for the Search and Rescue Volunteer Tax Credit recently raised to $6,000 in recognition of the time and financial commitments volunteers provide.
• PS is also dedicated to supporting the mental health of SAR volunteers through the support of the Public Safety Personnel Network and the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment.
Q5- Public Safety Canada Financial Support for Search and Rescue
• As PS is part of a horizontal structure without direct operational authority, PS uses funding strategically to empower other organizations and initiatives that advance shared objectives.
o The Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund provides $7.6 million annually to eligible organizations to improve Canada’s SAR system.
o PS provides ongoing funding to support the efforts of the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC) to bring together volunteers from all 13 provinces and territories in support of national training, search and rescue prevention through the AdventureSmart program, and the protection and support of ground SAR volunteers.
o Where eligible, PS provides workers compensation funding to provincial workers compensation programs that recognize SAR volunteers.
o Funding to support Canada’s six HUSAR Task Forces builds local and national level capacity to support large and small scale disasters.
o Support for the international COSPAS-SARSAT programme
o These programs are in addition to other federal government and provincial/territorial and local funding to support SAR operational readiness, response, and SAR prevention.