International Civil Aviation Organization Audit 2023
Location: National
Issue/source: Results of International Civil Aviation Organization Audit / TRAN
Date: March 2024
Suggested Responses
- Transport Canada (TC) officials have received the final audit report from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and have submitted the required corrective actions.
- As a signatory to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, and host nation of the ICAO, Canada pledges its firm commitment to adhering to the recommended practices established by the ICAO and will take action to address the findings.
- The ICAO has not identified any safety concerns with Canada’s civil aviation system.
- Transport Canada remains confident in the safety of Canada’s aviation system. Canadian carriers, maintenance organizations, manufacturers and airports continue to operate cohesively.
- Accident and incident statistics demonstrate that Canada has one of the safest civil aviation ecosystems in the world.
- Transport Canada officials have been engaging with international counterparts to reaffirm safety performance, showcase aeronautical rigor, and commitment to the ICAO standards, emphasizing proactive measures in response to audit findings.
Background Information
- From May to June 2023, Transport Canada (TC) was audited by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as part of the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme. Canada received an audit score of 65.1%, a significant decline from the last audit performed in 2005 when Canada was among the top-10 performing countries.
- Canada is one of the first states to go through a full-scope audit under the ICAO’s revised audit methodology.
- This audit evaluated the effectiveness of Canada’s regulatory system and its alignment with international norms. It is not a direct measure of safety indicators or an assessment of unsafe operations within the Canadian aviation industry.
- Canada’s audit score has been published on the ICAO website in December 2023.
- Transport Canada submitted the required Corrective Action Plans within the ICAO 45-day timeline that concluded on January 29, 2024. The ICAO has 60 days to review and assess the Corrective Action Plans. Should a Corrective Action Plan not fully address the finding, Canada will have 45 days to amend and resubmit the Corrective Action Plan.
- Transport Canada has established an International Civil Aviation Branch that will focus on ICAO compliance, international policy and engagement with domestic and international stakeholders, Safer skies, and technical cooperation.
- Specific examples of how safety performance is maintained and enhanced in Canada include:
- Since 2018, there have been 29 Regulatory amendments to the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs).
- Since its inception in 1990, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has made 154 recommendations to TC. To date, 133 recommendations have been addressed to strengthen the safety posture of civil aviation.
- There were no accidents in the Canadian commuter operations sector in 2022, a decrease from the previous year’s total of one. The previous 10-year average in this sector was 2.3 accidents per year.
- Airline operations in Canada continue to be one of the safest in the world. In 2022, there was one accident in this sector; a decrease from the previous 10-year average of 3.8 accidents per year.