Transportation 2030: Safer Transportation

From: Transport Canada

"Safer Transportation" is one theme under Transportation 2030, the Government of Canada's strategic plan for a safe, secure, green, innovative and integrated transportation system.

Our goal for this theme

To build a safer, more secure transportation system that Canadians trust.

What Canadians told us

In 2016, we consulted Canadians about our transportation system. Here is what they told us about safety:

Government and industry should work together so that regulations keep pace with innovation
Canada needs to be a leader in harmonizing global standards for safety policies and risk management and assessment
The federal government should:
- consult more with industry before delegations participate in international forums that govern transportation standards
- work with provinces, territories and their regulatory agencies on new technologies, such as automated vehicles

Where we go from here

To meet our goals for safer transportation, we committed to:

Speed up our review of the Railway Safety Act to build on our actions on railway safety
Change the Motor Vehicle Safety Act so we can compel manufacturers to recall defective and unsafe vehicles, and provide for large fines if companies don't comply with the rules
Make our regulations more flexible to allow for new automotive technologies, while maintaining safety
Expand our use of technology to improve security at airports
Make sure our actions support work on government priorities, such as:
- the safety of Canadians
- international partnerships
- a national innovation agenda

Budget 2017 support

The budget committed $152 million for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, Transport Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to continue to improve airport security screening operations.

Budget 2018 support

The budget provided $240.6 million for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to:

ensure consistent and effective security screening of travellers
add new lanes for U.S. pre-clearance of passengers at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and the Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport

Our progress

Proposed changes to the Motor Vehicle Safety Act

Bill S-2, which changes the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, received Royal Assent on March 3, 2018. This bill improves actions taken on:

vehicle recalls
vehicles that do not meet standards
violations to the Act

Review of Railway Safety Act

A review of the Railway Safety Act was launched on April 26, 2017, a year ahead of schedule. The review was conducted by a 3-person panel and supported by analysis and consultations.

The panel’s final report was tabled on May 31, 2018. It recommends how we can improve rail safety for the benefit of Canadians. Transport Canada is currently reviewing the recommendations.

Transportation Modernization Act

The Transportation Modernization Act received Royal Assent on May 23, 2018. This Act will require that some railway locomotives install voice and video recorders. To protect the privacy of employees, only the Transportation Safety Board, railway companies and Transport Canada will be allowed to use the information these devices gather for specific reasons.

Fatigue management

On December 12, 2018, Transport Canada published new flight crew fatigue regulations in the Canada Gazette, Part II that improve the safety of flights. These regulations apply to commercial air transport services in Canada, and are based on modern science, international standards and best practices. Work is underway to update fatigue management regulations for other modes of transportation.

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