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The minesweeper was ordered as part of the 1940-1941 construction programme.<ref name=mac46/> The ship's [[keel]] was laid down on 10 January 1941 by [[Canadian Vickers|Canadian Vickers Ltd]] at their yard in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]]. Named for a [[Swift Current|community]] in [[Saskatchewan]], ''Swift Current'' was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 29 May 1941. The ship was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 11 November 1941 at Montreal.<ref name=mac184>Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 184</ref>
Arriving at [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]] on 24 November, the vessel was used as an [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) [[training ship]] there until May 1942. That month, ''Swift Current'' sailed to [[Pictou, Nova Scotia]] to resume ASW training duties there. In February 1943, the minesweeper was sent back to Halifax to join Halifax Force, the patrol and escort unit based there. She remained as part of that unit until June when ''Swift Current'' joined Gaspé Force as a [[convoy]] escort in the [[Battle of the St. Lawrence]].<ref name=mac184/> In September 1943, ''Swift Current'' was among the warships deployed as part of the Canadian force to break up [[Operation Kiebitz]], the German plan to breakout [[prisoner of war]] [[U-boat]] captains from a camp in Canada.<ref>Sarty, p. 251</ref> ''
In November 1943, the minesweeper returned to Halifax Force and remained with the unit until undergoing a refit at [[Lunenburg, Nova Scotia]] in February 1944. Following the completion of the refit, ''Swift Current'' was transferred to Newfoundland Force, the patrol and escort force based in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's, Newfoundland]] and remained with that group until June 1945. From June until October, the warship performed miscellaneous duties along the [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic coast of Canada]].<ref name=mac184/>
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