Canada Command Canada Command ( CANCOM ) ( French : " Commandement Canada " ) was one of the four operational commands of the Canadian Forces from 2006 to 2012 , responsible for routine domestic and continental operations , such as search and rescue , sovereignty patrol , national security coordination and contingency planning . As an operational formation , Canada Command used resources generated from the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces : the Royal Canadian Navy , the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force . The command was merged into the Canadian Joint Operations Command in October 2012 . Role and structure . Canada Command ' s primary role was to " deter , prevent , preempt , and defeat threats and aggression aimed at Canada " . To this end , the command was responsible for assessing and developing national contingency response plans in order to react rapidly at the request of the Government of Canada . It shared resources with the Canadian Operational Support Command ( now merged ) , the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command and to a lesser extent with the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command ( also merged ) , offered a single point of contact for civil authorities , law enforcement agencies and security partners , and maintained a close relationship with the United States Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defence Command . The command was divided into ten subordinate organizations : six joint task forces ( JTFs ) , three search and rescue regions ( SRRs ) , and a single air component commander ( CFACC ) responsible for the allocation of air assets to the JTFs . At the national and regional level , Canada Command planned for contingencies , allocated resources for routine domestic and continental operations , and maintained the capacity to deploy military assets in assistance to civil authorities . Canada Command reported directly to the Chief of the Defence Staff and was headed by Lieutenant - General Walter Semianiw , and its senior non - commissioned member was Chief Warrant Officer Michel J . Y . Ouellet , . Domestic operations . 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 : Search and rescue . 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 : History . 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 . In May 2012 , in a major restructuration of the Canadian Forces , Canada Command was merged with the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command and the Canadian Operational Support Command to form the Canadian Joint Operations Command .