Search and Rescue, Climate Change, and the Expansion of the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Inuit Nunangat / the Canadian Arctic

Abstract

In Canada’s maritime spaces, members of the all-volunteer Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) provide essential marine search and rescue (SAR) services and promote boating safety. By 2015, however, only nine communities North of 55 possessed Auxiliary units and three of these struggled to remain operational. In 2020, the CCGA counted 20 units in the Coast Guard’s new Arctic Region, with 333 members and 31 vessels—the majority of which are located in Inuit Nunangat (the Inuit homeland in Canada) and comprised of Inuit members—and plans for future expansion.
 Based on stakeholder engagement, government documents, and media analysis, this article assesses the Coast Guard’s Arctic Search and Rescue Project and the concomitant programming under the Oceans Protection Plan that has facilitated the Auxiliary’s expansion in the Arctic. Our analysis asks two overarching questions: Why has this program been able to expand the Auxiliary after previous efforts failed? How has this expansion improved the SAR system and marine safety in Canada’s Arctic, and are there areas for improvement?
 The article makes four primary arguments:
 
 The success of the project has been fueled by strong community engagement and relationship-building efforts, effective data collection that has fostered a better understanding of the marine risks facing Arctic communities, and consistent access to the training and equipment required to safely conduct marine SAR operations
 Members of Arctic Auxiliary units strengthen SAR operations by improving response times, serving as SAR detectives, contributing to marine safety, and, most importantly, by integrating their local and traditional knowledge and skills into the broader search and rescue system.
 Training and organizational gaps exist that should be addressed as the Coast Guard continues to bolster existing units and establish new ones.
 The Arctic SAR Project has provided several best practices and lessons that should guide the implementation of additional resilience-building measures in the North and in other Indigenous communities.