Responsibilities for Responding
Within the Government of Canada, under the Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP), the Minister of Public Safety (PS) has the lead for responding to most domestic emergencies and incidents (e.g. terrorist incidents, flooding, forest fires); and the Minster of Global Affairs Canada (GAC) has the lead for responding to international emergencies and incidents (e.g. evacuation of Canadians).
Within this framework, the Minister of Transport has extensive legal authorities related to the transportation system in Canada, which translates into an essential role in responding to emergencies, accidents and incidents that have a connection to the transportation system or transportation infrastructure. Specifically, the Minister of Transport:
- Leads in responding to aviation, marine, rail and transportation of dangerous goods incidents and accidents in Canada. As Transport Canada (TC) is not a first responder, its role is to gather, and share, the facts related to accidents and incidents; share knowledge and expertise with first responders; exercise regulatory power to minimize harm to Canadians and the environment as well as disruptions to the transportation system; and investigate possible regulatory violations.
- Work with other federal departments (e.g. PS), agencies (e.g. the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)) or other levels of government (e.g. provinces, municipalities) to respond to a wide range of incidents and emergencies. Some examples include:
- to limit vessel traffic and speed on flooded waterways using authorities under the Canada Shipping Act;
- to restrict aircraft operating in the vicinity of forest fires or to expediting entry into Canadian service of foreign fire-fighting aircraft, using various authorities under the Aeronautics Act;
- working closely with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Public Safety, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in preventing and resolving Indigenous rail blockades;
- working closely with Global Affairs Canada, Privy Council Office, the Transportation Safety Board, national security agencies coordinating Canada’s response to passenger aircraft crashes abroad, such as the shootdown of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 over Tehran in early 2020; and
- with Global Affairs Canada and air operators to facilitate the evacuation of Canadians abroad in the event of emergencies or disasters.
Transport Canada is a leading contributor to the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working very closely with Public Health Agency of Canada (the lead agency), Health Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Canadian Border Services Agency, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. It has put in place a wide range of measures to ensure COVID safety at the international border, for travelers and for workers in the transportation system using a range of authorities under the Aeronautics Act, the Canada Shipping Act and other legislation and through intense engagement with industry partners. Key measures include the requirement for negative COVID-tests before boarding a flight to Canada, requirements to wear masks on planes, in airports and on trains. And orders banning direct flights from COVID hotspot countries (so far used for flights from the UK, India, Pakistan and Morocco).
- May invoke Acts in exercising these authorities including the following:
- Canada Marine Act;
- Canadian Navigable Waters Act;
- Emergency Management Act;
- Motor Vehicle Safety Act;
- Motor Vehicle Transport Act;
- Railway Safety Act; and
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act.
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Depending on the nature of the incident, TC’s partners in these areas could include:
- The Canadian Coast Guard which plays a first responder role in marine accidents and incidents;
- Local first responders (e.g. local police, fire departments) which lead in responding to accidents involving trucks carrying dangerous goods;
- National security partners (e.g. the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service) which lead on security incidents and investigations; and
- The Transportation Safety Board, a completely independent federal agency that investigates aviation, marine, rail and transportation of dangerous goods accidents.
Resources and Systems for Responding
The Government of Canada as a whole, and TC in particular, have well-established procedures in place to respond to an emergency or incident. For PS and GAC-led emergencies, the Government Operations Center (GOC) coordinates a whole-of-government response. The PS-led GOC is central to the government-wide network of departmental situation centres and operations centres. TC’s Situation Centre (SitCen), located in Tower C, is a part of this network. It operates on a 24/7 basis to:
- co-ordinate with other departments and levels of government through the GOC; and
- serve as the department’s reporting and incident management response hub.
Regional TC SitCens offices are located in Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver and are only activated in response to a significant regional incident.
The Canadian Transport Emergency Centre (CANUTEC) also operates within the SitCen and provides scientific advice to first responders during incidents relating to dangerous goods.
Transportation emergencies, accidents and incidents are typically reported to the TC SitCen. They are then shared more broadly within the department and with other federal departments. Through the SitCen, TC has robust lines of communication with the GOC.
Most transportation accidents and incidents are managed through an exchange of information via SitCen notifications, emails and phone calls. Management of such incidents can also include face-to-face briefings for the Minister and Ministerial staff.
Notifications disseminated by the SitCen can vary significantly, from a regulatory incident that requires inspectorate follow up to a transportation crisis that requires an immediate response. In 2020, the SitCen triaged 82,000 interactions that generated 7,000 notifications to internal and external stakeholders.
For more significant incidents (e.g., loss of life, significant aviation security incident, pandemic) a decision may be made to organize a National Incident Management Group. This group brings together all the key players (e.g. officials from the relevant safety or security program, legal, communications, region), and is a forum to share information, provide direction and make decisions. The Minister’s office will be made aware of such meetings.
When required, following an incident response, investigations and enforcement actions are conducted in accordance with the relevant legislative framework.