The National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) was an independent portfolio organization within the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

's Department of National Defence, established in 1986 as one of the recommendations resulting from the Royal Commission of Enquiry into the ''

Ocean Ranger ''Ocean Ranger'' was a semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit that sank in Canadian waters on 15 February 1982. It was drilling an exploration well on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, east of St. John's, Newfoundland, for Mobil Oil o ...

'' disaster. From 1986 to 2015, the NSS reported to the Lead Minister for Search and Rescue (LMSAR), who was the Minister of National Defence. The NSS supported and promoted the coordination of the National Search and Rescue Program. This included facilitating the work of the Ground Search and Rescue Council of Canada and the federal Interdepartmental Committee on Search and Rescue (ICSAR). ICSAR members include: *

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

( Department of National Defence) *

Canadian Coast Guard The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; french: links=no, Garde côtière canadienne, GCC) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in ...

(

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; french: Pêches et Océans Canada, MPO), is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and sc ...

) *

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

(

Public Safety Canada Public Safety Canada (PSC; french: Sécurité publique Canada, SPC; PSP), legally incorporated as the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (PSEPC), is the Ministry (government department), department of the Government of Canada ...

) *

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportati ...

Meteorological Service of Canada The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC; french: Service météorologique du Canada – SMC) is a division of Environment and Climate Change Canada, which primarily provides public meteorological information and weather forecasts and warnings ...

(

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ( ...

) *

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

NSS worked with provincial and territorial SAR authorities to develop and standardize SAR services. NSS also funded research, studies, workshops and conferences, as well as publishing the quarterly SARSCENE magazine. The NSS also coordinated the Canadian contribution to the

COSPAS-SARSAT The International Cospas-Sarsat Programme is a satellite-aided search and rescue (SAR) initiative. It is organized as a treaty-based, nonprofit, intergovernmental, humanitarian cooperative of 45 nations and agencies (see infobox). It is dedi ...

satellite alerting system, and for several years managed the Canadian registry for distress beacons. Another recommendation from the ''

'' disaster was to establish the "SAR New Initiatives Fund" (NIF), a federal contribution program that provides funding for new projects or initiatives that will improve the National Search and Rescue Program. In July 2015, the National SAR Secretariat was moved out of the Defence portfolio and incorporated into the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. It is no longer managed as a separate portfolio organization with dedicated corporate functions (communications, finance, grants/contribution programs).

External links

National Search And Rescue Secretariat
{{authority control Federal departments and agencies of Canada

See also

External links