- Transport Canada is currently reviewing all eligible applications within the 40-business day service delivery timeline.
- Transport Canada continues to prioritize medical certificates for the maintenance of essential aviation services and the preservation of livelihoods.
- Transport Canada is continuously working on improving communication options for applicants.
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SUPPLEMENTARY MESSAGES
- 92% of applications are either renewed immediately by their examiners or are for new applicants who are all reviewed within the service delivery timeline
- 8% of applications are for medically complex files that require additional information or further review, and are therefore not subject to the 40-day service delivery standard
- TC continues to liaise with stakeholders including airlines, associations, unions, and flight training units to identify and process priority aviation medical certificate applications
- TC continues to successfully recruit additional physicians with specialized aerospace medicine credentials and to add administrative staff to increase processing capacity
- Job posters for physicians and administrative staff are currently active. Recruiting through the aerospace medicine professional network is yielding results, with multiple new physicians currently in the process of receiving contracts
- TC continues to improve communication options for applicants. Queries are being consolidated, triaged, and responded to more quickly and efficiently with a new online query webform
- Call centre reorganization is underway to more efficiently manage telephone queries
- An online applicant portal to further enhance communication is currently in the user testing phase before launch.
- TC has transitioned to online submission of applications through the electronic Medical Examination Report (eMER) system, and further work is planned to enhance its capabilities to achieve greater efficiencies
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Location: National
Issue/Source: Backlog in processing civil aviation medical certificates
Date: March 7, 2023
Suggested Responses
- Transport Canada processes approximately 60,000 aviation medical certificate applications each year, which are essential for maintaining public and aviation safety.
- Maintaining the integrity of the review process to ensure safety is important. Transport Canada has been improving its capacity to process the large number of applications by implementing digital solutions and hiring additional staff.
- Transport Canada is also working with industry and stakeholders to provide timely medical certification for essential aviation services, including commercial operations and pilot training.
If Pressed
- Approximately 75% of all medical renewals are now carried out immediately in the Civil Aviation Medical Examiner’s office which is a streamlined process introduced by TC.
- Approximately 15% of all other files are non-complex files which are processed and approved within the service standard of 40 business days.
- The remaining 10% of files are medically complex and often require further diagnostics before a medical authority can make a determination with respect to their ultimate disposition.
Background Information
- Pilots, air traffic controllers, and flight engineers must have a valid medical certification to exercise the privileges of their licences.
- Since March 2022, applications have increased from approximately 5,000 to 6,000 per month, due to renewed interest in aviation as many public health measures were lifted and flight schools and cadet programs reopened.
- The increased quantity and complexity (e.g., aging pilots given the changing demographics and earlier diagnosis of conditions like mental illnesses) of applications pose immense challenges to Transport Canada.
- TC is working to improve its processes and ensure there are sufficient resources and staff to process aviation medical certificates in the most efficient manner possible to address the backlog.
- The Department is also working to digitalize its processes, including implementing an electronic medical examination review system to eliminate paper-based dependencies. Close to 90% of applications are now processed electronically.
- TC has established a triage channel with stakeholders such as associations, unions, operators, and schools to prioritize commercial files. It is also working to improve communications with applicants and is developing a tool for applicants to track their files, which is expected to be online in the 2023/2024 fiscal year.