Location: National
Issue/Source: Summer 2022 backlogs and comparison of CATSA’s pre- and post-pandemic funding
Date: November 30, 2022
Suggested Responses
- The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is a Crown Corporation, operating at arm’s lengthand accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Transport. As such, CATSA is responsible for managing its operations, including financial decisions.
- While Canada worked towards the safe return and recovery of the aviation sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada took action to ensure that CATSA maintained full funding so they could better respond to increased traveller volumes.
- The Government of Canada acknowledges that it must continue to prioritize efforts to improve services, efficiency, and value for money to air travellers.
- CATSA will continue to meet its mandate of protecting the public through effective and efficient screening, at or above the standards set by Transport Canada.
If Pressed
- The Government of Canada continues to work closely with its partners and stakeholders to strengthen the operations of the air travel system, and therefore, help prevent wait times and congestion at Canadian airports from reocurring in the future.
Background Information
- CATSA was created in December 2001 as part of the Government of Canada’s response to the events of September 11, 2001, pursuant to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority Act (CATSA Act) and Budget Implementation Act, 2001. The CATSA Act came into force on April 1, 2002.
- CATSA is mandated to take actions, either directly or through contractors, for the effective and efficient screening of persons who access aircraft or restricted areas through screening checkpoints, the property in their possession or control, and the belongings or baggage that they give to an air carrier for transport.
- CATSA operates under a third-party service delivery model, where it realizes its mandate by contracting the delivery of security screening services to private contractors. Contractors are responsible for employing the screening workforce and performing screening operations at 89 designated airports in Canada.
- Per its mandate, CATSA is responsible for conducting security screening in the following four areas:
- the screening of airline passengers, their carry-on baggage and their personal belongings;
- the screening of checked (or hold) baggage;
- the screening of non-passengers such as employees of airports, businesses located within the secure area of airports, as well as employees of companies making deliveries and the items they carry prior to entering security restricted areas serving international civil aviation operations; and
- the administration of a secure biometric identity verification system that prevents unauthorized persons from accessing restricted areas of airports.
- The $922.7M allocated to CATSA in this fiscal year (2022-23) is higher than its pre-pandemic funding level. In 2019-20, CATSA had $898.3M available, $917.7M in 2020-21, and $859.5M in 2021-22.
- The $25.5M CATSA is accessing through Supplementary Estimates (B) is sourced from unused 2021-22 authorities that could not be spent due to supply chain delays and dependence on external partners.