History
Canada's civil defence measures evolved over time. As with many other matters in Canada, responsibility is shared between the federal and provincial government. [3] The first post-WWII civil defence co-ordinator, Major-General F.F. Worthington, was appointed in October 1948 "to supervise the work of federal, provincial and municipal authorities in planning for public air-raid shelters, emergency food and medical supplies, and the evacuation of likely target areas". [4] Civil Defence in Canada was originally under the authority of the Department of National Defence however, in 1951, civil defence operations were made the responsibility of the Department of National Health and Welfare. [5] This change was the result of two of Dominion-province conferences, where the federal and provincial governments agreed to share responsibility for civil defence.
In 1959, the Government of Canada, under John Diefenbaker handed authority for civilian defense to the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO). [4] Large fallout shelters, known as "Diefenbunkers" were built at rural locations outside major cities across Canada at the height of the Cold War during the infancy of the ICBM threat. During this period, a large emphasis was placed on civil defence, with the Government of Canada producing guides and propaganda on the importance of civilians' role in keeping Canada safe from foreign threats. [6] The Government frequently produced material featuring "Justin Case" and "Bea Alerte" as mascots of civil defence.
In 1974, the EMO became Emergency Planning Canada, then Emergency Preparedness Canada in 1986. In February 2001, the Government replaced Emergency Preparedness Canada with the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness (OCIPEP), responsible for civilian emergency planning in both peace and war. [4]
