Operation Nanook 2008 was a joint exercise of Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

's Maritime Command and the Canadian Coast Guard

Canadian Coast Guard

The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...

, held in August 2008.
Canada conducted similar joint exercises, also named "Operation Nanook", in 2007

Operation Nanook (2007)

Operation Nanook 2007 was the 2007 annual joint exercise of Canada's Maritime Command and the Canadian Coast Guard to train for disaster and sovereignty patrols in the Arctic.Similar exercises were held in 2008 and 2009....

 and 2009

Operation Nanook (2009)

Operation Nanook 2009 was the 2009 annual joint exercise of Canada's Maritime Command and the Canadian Coast Guard to train for disaster and sovereignty patrols in the Arctic.Similar exercises were held in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011....

.

The exercise was held from August 11 to August 25, 2008.
Two Canadian navy ships and two airforce planes, a CC-138 Twin Otter

De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...

 and a CP-140 Aurora

CP-140 Aurora

The Lockheed CP-140 Aurora is a maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft is based on the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe, but mounts the electronics suite of the S-3 Viking...

, took part in the exercises in the Canada's Arctic. The frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

 HMCS Toronto

HMCS Toronto (FFH 333)

HMCS Toronto is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1993.Toronto is the fourth ship in her class which is the name for the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project. She is the second vessel to carry the designation ....

, the minesweeper

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

 HMCS Shawinigan

HMCS Shawinigan (MM 704)

HMCS Shawinigan is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1997.Shawinigan is the fifth ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the designation ....

 and the Canadian Coast Guard

Canadian Coast Guard

The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...

 icebreaker

Icebreaker

An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...

 CCGC Pierre Radisson travelled along the Hudson Strait

Hudson Strait

Hudson Strait links the Atlantic Ocean to Hudson Bay in Canada. It lies between Baffin Island and the northern coast of Quebec, its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley and Resolution Island. It is long...

. The Operation extended to Davis Strait

Davis Strait

Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Nunavut, Canada's Baffin Island. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis , who explored the area while seeking a Northwest Passage....

, and Frobisher Bay

Frobisher Bay

Frobisher Bay is a relatively large inlet of the Labrador Sea in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island...

 during the annual Operation.
There have been 18 such humanitarian operations since 2002.
As more Arctic ice melts, the ships sail through uncharted waters.
Emergency response times were tested for such potential disasters as oil spills, or rescue operations such as responding to cruise ship emergencies.

General

General

A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 Walter J. Natynczyk, Canada's chief of Defence staff

Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)

The Chief of the Defence Staff is the second most senior member of the Canadian Forces, and heads the Armed Forces Council, having primary responsibility for command, control, and administration of the forces, as well as military strategy, plans, and requirements...

, the Honourable Peter MacKay

Peter MacKay

Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....

, Defence Minister

Minister of National Defence (Canada)

The Minister of National Defence is a Minister of the Crown; the Canadian politician within the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the Department of National Defence which oversees the Canadian Forces....

 as well as Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and Steven Fletcher

Steven Fletcher

Steven John Fletcher, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. He has served in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004, representing the riding of Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia as a member of the Conservative Party. He is the first quadriplegic to serve in the House of Commons, as well as in Cabinet...

, Member of Parliament for Charleswood–St. James–Assiniboia and Parliamentary Secretary for Health, flew to Iqaluit, Nunavut

Nunavut

Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...

to officially launch the exercise on August 19, 2008 and observe the process.