Since 1936, we’ve been helping people and goods get safely and efficiently where they need to go. With 10 million square kilometres and the world’s longest coastline to cover, it’s a big job. We’re proud to do it.
The performance of the transportation system serves every Canadian who uses a car, a bus, a train, a plane or a boat. It underpins the success of Canada’s economy and its ability to grow. It connects our communities, accounts for 4.0% of Canada’s gross domestic product (or $88.5 billion) and provides nearly 1 million jobs. It delivered $1.54 trillion in goods to international markets in 2024. And it’s changing all the time. In just the last decade, we’ve seen the rise of electric cars, autonomous vehicles, and remotely piloted aircraft systems (what people commonly call drones).
Whatever’s next, we’ll be ready for it, so that Canadians continue to benefit from a transportation system that’s known around the world as safe and secure, reliable, efficient, and environmentally responsible.
Our mandate
Canadians expect a lot from their transportation system – safety first and foremost. Travellers also want choice, good service, and low costs. Industry needs a system that supports growth and gives access to markets — from five marine corridors to improved and expanded infrastructure in the North.
We work to make our transportation system safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally responsible. This includes working to reduce and prevent supply chain bottlenecks in Canada’s transportation networks.
Canadians want green, innovative options that reduce pollution and make the most of new technologies. We’re here to help meet those expectations through regulation and oversight, by funding projects to drive innovation, improving safety, and by working with partners across the country and around the world.
Our team
Transport Canada has one of the largest and most diverse portfolios in the federal government — and a hardworking, talented team of over 6,500 people that covers every corner of the country.
Teamwork, collaboration, and innovation are at the heart of what we do. As an employer of choice, we are proud of our digital-first environment and value well-being, inclusivity, and respect in the workplace.
A secure system
We’re serious about keeping Canada’s transportation system secure — in the air, on the water, for railways and roads — right across the country and beyond. We’re always on alert for security threats and risks to the transportation system. We protect marine ports, railways, and international bridges and tunnels.
In the air sector, we make and oversee the rules for screening cargo, passengers, and personnel. We also make sure that airports, air carriers, and others manage security in a way that keeps everyone safe. Working with other national security organizations, we prevent people who could be security threats from boarding planes. Anyone who needs to access the restricted areas of a Canadian airport or marine port or wants to work in certain jobs must apply through us. With these activities and constant vigilance, we protect the integrity of transportation in Canada.
89 years strong
Transportation is always on the move — literally, but also in terms of innovation, pushing boundaries, and redefining what’s possible. Over our history, we’ve dedicated ourselves to staying ahead of the curve. When jet travel took off, we developed high-altitude weather forecasting technology and upgraded our country’s airports. As Canada’s industry and exports grew, we set regulations for water pollution and transporting dangerous goods. Our work promoting safety management systems and safety culture helped Canadians and gained traction worldwide; in the wake of 9/11, we improved transportation security by creating the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) among other measures.
That history has set the course for the future. We’re determined for Canada to remain a world leader in transportation. The foundation we’ve laid will provide a system that’s accessible, safe, secure, efficient, environmentally responsible, and ready for tomorrow.
Rail
Laid end to end, Canada’s more than 48,000 kilometres of railway track would wrap around the globe. That’s a lot of rail. Our job is to oversee the safety of all railways that cross provincial or international borders by making sure that rail companies comply with federal laws and regulations. In the field, our rail safety experts do more than 40,000 inspections every year. Our rail security experts in the field oversee the security of passengers travelling by rail and the security of people moving dangerous goods by rail. These experts perform over 800 rail security inspections every year.
Grade crossings are an area of focus for rail safety. A grade crossing is anywhere a road, sidewalk or path crosses railway tracks. We work with railways and communities to make these crossings safer. Our Rail Safety Improvement Program funds projects improve infrastructure, or propose new technologies to increase safety at grade crossings and along rail lines.
We routinely review Canada’s rail regulations to keep them modern and innovative. Since 1989, we’ve reviewed the Railway Safety Act four times and we’ve updated it several times. In recent years, we've made major improvements to rail safety and rail security. On the rail safety side, we’ve hired more inspectors, introduced new standards for tank cars, changed how we share information with municipalities, and more. On the rail security side, we’ve introduced two sets of rail security regulations and added rail security administrative monetary penalties (fine) as a graduated enforcement measure.
Marine
Canada has more coastline than any other nation, borders all but one of the Great Lakes, and has thousands of lakes and rivers. We keep those waterways safe by regulating and monitoring boats and commercial and foreign-registered vessels. We ensure offshore drilling rigs meet safety standards and certify officers and crews of commercial Canadian ships.
We’re at every major Canadian port making sure our waters and communities are safe. Under the Port State Control ship inspection program, every foreign vessel in Canadian waters is boarded and inspected for compliance with major international maritime conventions. And we limit noise and speed to protect marine life, such as endangered whales limit noise and speed to protect marine life, such as endangered whales. Under the Oceans Protection Plan, we work with Indigenous and coastal communities, the marine industry, and other stakeholders to develop and make marine shipping safer, increase protections for marine ecosystems, and improve how we prevent and respond to marine incidents.
Air
Canada’s skies are busy. Millions of flights and passengers travel our airspace every year. We work with industry and government partners to keep planes, people and airports safe and secure through inspections, certifications, pilot standards and crew testing.
We anticipate and respond to changes from innovation — such as the fast-rising popularity of drones, which led to new rules in June 2019 including an online registration program and operator exams, as well as shared enforcement with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other law enforcement partners. To date, over 108,000 drones have been registered in the Drone Management Portal.
Road
With millions of people traveling on Canadian roads every day, road safety remains a top priority for us at Transport Canada. We rigorously inspect and test cars, buses, trucks, child car seats, tires, and other products at our Motor Vehicle Test Centre and the Motor Vehicle Safety Investigation Laboratory to ensure they meet stringent safety standards. Our commitment to safety includes swift investigations and close monitoring of manufacturers’ recalls when defects are identified. Additionally, we conduct extensive research, gather critical data, and work closely with numerous stakeholders to inform our policies and programs, allowing us to address emerging road safety challenges and improve overall road safety for all Canadians.
Dangerous goods
Each day, products considered dangerous goods (such as gasoline, lithium batteries in phones, aerosol sprays, cleaning supplies) that Canadians need move throughout our country. Getting them where they need to go requires smart regulations and careful management — both of which fall to Transport Canada. Our Transportation of Dangerous Goods Program develops safety standards and regulations, provides risk-based oversight and gives expert advice on dangerous goods moving by every mode of transportation that we regulate.
The program focuses on research, developing policies, modernizing regulations, and responding to emergencies to protect the public and environment. For example, the program’s highly specialized teams have developed resources for first responders. The team continuously assesses emerging risks and trends, and works with international and domestic partners to modernize regulations.
Green transportation
Canadians care about environmental sustainability, and so do we. The proof? Targets for reducing jet emissions. Speed limits for vessels in sensitive waters. Future-minded standards for Arctic shipping under the international Polar Code to protect the North’s fragile ecosystems. On land, our Zero-Emission Vehicle Programs have already made a meaningful impact, helping thousands of Canadians and businesses transition to cleaner transportation and cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the process. We are also working on an electrified high-speed rail initiative between Quebec-City and Toronto, which will connect communities and help Canada reduce its emissions.
We actively support Canada’s environmental priorities by promoting a green and innovative transportation system.
At sea, we protect marine environments and species like whales from oil spills through the National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP), which keeps high-altitude watch over Canadian waters. And we’re rapidly developing new measures to protect marine mammals from marine traffic on the East and West Coasts.
Where next?
We work hard to support innovation and build the future of transportation. A future shaped by younger generations, by Canadians whose imaginations have no bounds. And whatever that future brings, Transport Canada will be ready — with modern regulations that encourage innovation, free-flowing data for better informed decisions, and a “sky’s the limit” openness to technologies of the future.
Our Innovation Centre partners with government, industry and academia in support of emerging transportation technologies to help ensure Canadians benefit from a safe, secure, clean, and integrated transportation system.
We’ll continue to deliver programs and initiatives that support priorities like restoring and upgrading airports, protecting our coastlines and waterways alongside local Indigenous partners, improving rail safety and reducing bottlenecks in our transportation supply chain.
We’ll keep asking questions about what Canadians and industry want and need to deliver the best possible transportation system with safety and security assured, while continuing to enable economic growth for the benefit of all Canadians.