Transportation in Canada 2020 - Overview Report

Safety and Security Transportation

Canada continued to have a safe and secure transportation system.

Air sector

In 2020, 144 aviation accidents (under the Canadian Aviation Regulations) involving Canadian-registered aircraft were recorded, down 28% from the average of the previous ten years. These accidents caused 13 fatalities, a significant decrease compared to 54 fatalities in 2019.

In 2020, Canada continued to take steps to facilitate the flow of legitimate air travellers and goods while maintaining its high level of aviation security. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority screened over 65 million passengers and their belongings at Canadian airports.

Marine sector

Canada has a strong record of safe and secure marine shipping. Given the thousands of ships that operate in Canadian waters, there are relatively few accidents. In 2020, there were 215 reportable accidents involving at least 1 Canadian registered vessel, down from the ten-year average of 234.Footnote 1

Rail sector

In 2020, there were an estimated 965 recorded railway accidents, down 23.2% from 2019. These accidents resulted in 59 fatalities, down 19.2% relative to the average for the previous ten years.Footnote 2 Accidents relating to dangerous goods decreased 52.1% to 81.

Road sector

In 2019, road casualty collisions were around 9% lower compared to 2014, despite significant growth in the number of licensed drivers, vehicles registered and vehicle kilometers driven. Canada’s fatality rate per 10,000 registered motor vehicles was 0.69 in 2019, a rate that has been relatively stable in recent years but significantly lower (-35%) than a decade earlier.Footnote 3