Location: National
Summary of Issue/Background
- The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) is a Crown corporation reporting to Parliament through the Minister of Transport that provides airport security screening for passengers, baggage and workers in secure areas of airports. CATSA was established in 2002 as part of an enhanced air travel security system following 9/11.
- CATSA operates under a third-party business model and directly employs approximately 400 full time staff. CATSA delivers its mandate by contracting with private sector contractors who hire around 8,000 screening officers to conduct screening at designated airports across Canada.
- In the 2019 Budget, the Government announced its intention to sell CATSA’s assets to an arms-length not-for-profit corporation, comprised of Canada’s air carriers and airports. This is similar to the approach taken with when the Government sold its civil air navigation assets and services to a not-for-profit corporation in 1996, called NAV CANADA, unlocking new opportunities to make better use of technology to improve efficiency of operations, level of service and safety/security.
- The Security Screening Services Commercialization Act (SSSCA), which received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019, enables the sale of CATSA’s assets, authorizes the Government to designate a not-for-profit corporation as the entity that would be legislatively mandated to provide security screening services at Canada’s airports, sets out charging principles to be used by the corporation when establishing its charges for providing its screening services, and provides for the winding up of CATSA.
- As the federal regulator, Transport Canada will continue to play an exclusive regulatory and oversight role regarding aviation security for security screening at Canadian airports. The Department will continue to adjust security screening requirements at Canada’s airports as required to assure safety in an evolving security and threat environment.
- The Department is currently actively involved with industry, in order to designate a not-for-profit private corporation as the designated screening authority (DSA). Efforts are focused on due diligence activities and negotiation on key issues such as purchase price, financials and human resources, and transition. In addition to maintaining the safety and security of the Canadian travelling public, a key focus for the Government will be ensuring job security for CATSA staff through the negotiations with the DSA.
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