The Pre-load Air Cargo Targeting (PACT) Program identifies and mitigates high-risk air cargo shipments before they’re transported to Canada. It uses advanced analytics to find risk in pre-loading advance cargo information.
Before loading cargo onto an aircraft bound for Canada, air carriers must submit cargo data to Transport Canada using the PACT System.
PACT applies to all air carriers who transport cargo on flights from outside Canada to an aerodrome located in Canada, like:
- passenger flights
- charter flights
- cargo and express/courier flights
- flights that transit or transfer in Canada (including those with Freight Remaining On Board (FROB))
The program requirements do not apply to mail or diplomatic bags.
You must still submit data to the PACT System even if you also submit data to the Canada Border Services Agency’s eManifest program.
On this page:
- When do the regulations come into effect?
- Before you submit
- Submit data to Transport Canada
- After you submit
- Automated decision-making
- Need help?
When do the regulations come into effect?
Stakeholders are being onboarded to the new system as of January 2024.
The new regulations will be published in fall 2024. Once the regulations come into effect, Transport Canada will use tools to encourage carriers to comply with the regulations. These could include verbal or written warnings.
If a carrier doesn’t comply with the regulations after these warnings, they could be fined up to $25,000.
Before you submit
To submit data, air carriers can:
- submit data on their own
- hire a third-party (examples: data aggregators and general sales/handling agents (GSAs/GHAs)) to submit and receive cargo data on their behalf
- identify supply chain partners that can submit some of the information on their behalf (like freight forwarders who create house waybills before the air carrier receives the shipment)
No matter who submits the information, the air carrier is responsible for meeting the requirements in the regulations.
Data formats
You can supply data in:
- C-IMP format, or
- Cargo-XML format
For technical specifications and message formats please see the Technical Implementation Guide.
Required data
Cargo information
In order to submit data to the system, you will need the following information for each shipment before the cargo is loaded onto an aircraft:
- the name and foreign address of the original shipper (the first person or company sending the goods)
- Do not use the name/address of a freight forwarder/consolidator/carrier in a codeshare arrangement
- the name and address of the consignee (the person or company who is receiving the goods)
- Do not use the name/address of a freight forwarder/consolidator/carrier in a codeshare arrangement
- a simple, precise description of each piece of cargo (the Harmonized System (HS) Code isn’t required but can stay)
- Generic or vague descriptions may lead to an error message
- the number of pieces of cargo in the shipment
- the cargo’s total weight
- the air waybill number (includes master and house waybill numbers, if applicable)
Flight information
You must submit this data once a flight departs from its last point of departure and before it arrives in Canada:
- the flight’s date
- the flight number
- the destination aerodrome
- departure time, and
- a list of the air waybill numbers for the flight
The list of air waybills helps us make sure that air carriers are complying with the regulations.
Submit data to Transport Canada
Register with the PACT Program
Please contact PACT-Information-CFAPC@tc.gc.ca to register with the PACT Program. You will be asked to fill out a form telling us about:
- your basic contact information
- your flight operations
- the service provider(s) and supply chain partner(s) you will work with to submit data (if applicable)
Please send back the completed form at PACT-Information-CFAPC@tc.gc.ca. Transport Canada will reply by email with next steps to begin submitting data to the PACT system.
Submit data to the PACT System
We will help you set up a web Application Programming Interface (API) to submit your data directly from your system to the PACT system. We will give instructions after you register with PACT.
After you submit data
Update data
You can submit updates to the data until the flight departs. You’ll get a confirmation for every update you submit. PACT won’t assess any data it receives after the flight departs.
You can submit updates using your API. Please submit updates as soon as possible to avoid delays.
If you submit duplicate data, the PACT system will treat the latest submission as an update.
What you can expect after you submit
You’ll receive the following messages after you submit data to the PACT system. See the Technical Implementation Guide for more details.
- A message through the API confirming receipt or showing an error
- If you need to take a risk mitigation action:
- a message through the API
- email instructions about the response we expect
- When you resolve a risk mitigation action:
- a message through web API
- an email, if you require emails
- A message through the API that the assessment is complete
Automated decision-making
We have published an Algorithmic Impact Assessment based on the Directive on Automated Decision-Making.
Need help?
Please contact PACT-Information-CFAPC@tc.gc.ca for setup, help with technical issues, or if you have an outage. We will reply within 1 business day.
Contact Us
Transport Canada
Aviation Security/ Advanced Passenger and Cargo Analytics
Mailstop: ABAP
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1A 0N5