Canadian Transportation Agency 2022-23 Main Estimates
Location: N/A
Issue/Source: As announced in Budget 2022, one-year renewal of temporary funds to address operating pressures related to the Canadian Transportation Agency's (the Agency) broadened authorities and activities, specifically providing dispute resolution services to Canadians.
Date: May 11, 2022
The 2022-23 Main Estimates represent the Agency's permanent funding. The reduction from 2021-22 Estimates is due to sunsetting temporary funds received in Budget 2020 for 2 years to increase the Agency's complaint processing capacity.
- Additional temporary funds for 1 year has since been announced in Budget 2022 to increase the Agency's complaint processing capacity.
- The additional temporary funds of $11.5M restore the Agency's Estimates to roughly the same as 2021-22.
- Only 1 year of temporary funds were received through Budget 2022 and will be sunsetting at the end of fiscal year 2022-23.
IF PRESSED
- The one-year renewal of funds is intended to allow the Agency to process up to 12,250 complaints within FY 2022-23.
- The Agency requires this renewal to enable it to resolve complaints when Canadians are unable to resolve issues directly wth service providers. Without the renewal of funds, the Agency's current backlog will grow, and dispute resolution services will not be provided in a timely manner.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- Over time, the Agency's mandate has become more relevant than ever before. The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) – which were made pursuant to the Transportation Modernization Act – establish robust entitlements for passengers flying to, from and within Canada. The Accessible Canada Act and the complementary provisions of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR), are significant steps towards making sure persons with disabilities are treated with dignity, and barriers are removed when using federal modes of transportation.
- The Agency is continuing to experience a high demand for its dispute resolution services related to the air travel experience. Between 2012 and 2016, the average annual number of complaints received by the Agency was approximately 700. In 2019-20, complaint volumes surged to 19,392, and in the three months between the APPR coming fully into force in December 2019 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Agency received a staggering 11,200 complaints. During FY 2021-22, the Agency received over 12,000 complaints despite the significant reduction in passenger volumes due to COVID-19.
- In order to successfully implement these new regimes and keep up with the ever-increasing demand for its dispute resolution services, the Agency sought a one-year renewal of $11.5M – this will be used to support the term renewals of about 100 FTEs, which are primarily devoted to the Agency's Dispute Resolution Program.