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National Exercise Program

The National Exercise Program (NEP) consists of training courses and operation centre exercises that hone our National Emergency Response System. Government, first responders and military officials work together in these exercises, simulating emergency scenarios such as natural disasters, health threats and terrorist attacks. The exercises are often conducted with multiple departments, including provincial, territorial and municipal governments, to ensure efficient and effective responses.

• Regional exercises and collaboration 
• International exercises

Regional exercises and collaboration

Regional exercises entail collaborations between municipal, provincial/territorial and federal agencies. PSEPC is at the hub of the federal response, coordinating all federal departments that may be implicated in a given emergency. Regional exercises are often led by the municipal or regional bodies, but PSEPC can also act as the exercise lead. In either case, PSEPC oversees the cycle of federal activities during an exercise, collecting data, measuring response times and identifying strengths and weaknesses. When a given exercise is complete, we ensure that all data and lessons learned are shared among the participating agencies.

As well, PSEPC works with the provinces and territories to further develop the National Exercise Program, creating policies and standards, identifying priorities and developing other potential exercise scenarios.

International exercises

Under the National Security Policy, the Canada-U.S. Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Guidelines and the Smart Border Declaration, Canada has made commitments to organize joint counter-terrorism exercises with the U.S.

In addition, Canada participates in regular exercises with other countries. For example, a 2005 exercise called TRIPLEPLAY simulated a major terrorist attack on Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Officials at all levels of the federal government and senior officials from the governments of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were involved. This multinational, multi-agency exercise tested operation centres, senior decision makers, coordination of strategic public communications, and exchange of classified intelligence and operational information.