Results at a Glance

For Priority 1: “Accelerate the modernization of Transport Canada’s safety and security oversight”, in 2016-17, we:

• Identified strategies for the safe use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, including:
  • Releasing revised regulatory exemptions in December 2016 for small UAS operating in lower risk environments;
  • Issuing an Interim Order respecting the use of model aircraft to ensure the continued safe recreational use of this technology; and
  • Authorizing Canada’s first UAS test site in Foremost, Alberta to allow industry stakeholders to conduct research and development for new UAS technologies;
• Worked towards improving marine transportation in the Arctic by consulting with industry and northern stakeholders on the drafting of the proposed Arctic Shipping Safety and Pollution Prevention Regulations;
• Reinforced aviation security by:
  • Starting to harmonize Canada’s screening procedures at preclearance airports with those of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration^Footnote ; and
  • Advancing additional components of the One Stop Security Initiative^Footnote ;
• Applied new measures to reinforce railway safety such as the Grade Crossings Regulations^Footnote , Railway Safety Administrative Monetary Penalty Regulations^Footnote , Railway Safety Management Systems Regulations, 2015^Footnote and Railway Operating Certificate Regulations^Footnote ; and
• Tabled Bill S-2 proposing amendments to the Motor Vehicle Safety Act^Footnote , including:
  • Giving the Minister the power to order a company to issue a recall;
  • Making companies repair a recalled vehicle at no cost to the consumer and prevent new vehicles from being sold until they are repaired; and
  • Authorizing the use of monetary penalties to increase safety compliance and give Transport Canada added flexibility to address new technologies;
• Began to address the 40 Transportation of Dangerous Goods recommendations from the Emergency Response Task Force.

For Priority 2: “Advance initiatives that promote an environmentally responsible transportation system”, in 2016-17, we:

• Worked on policies, regulations and programs to promote safe and environmentally responsible shipping practices aimed at protecting the marine environment and reducing the impact of marine pollution incidents in Canadian waters. We:
  • Commenced work on the government’s Oceans Protection Plan (OPP), which was announced by the Prime Minister on November 7, 2016^Footnote ;
  • Published regulations that require companies to report any hazardous and noxious substances they receive in Canada;
  • Collaborated with partners to reduce the impacts of transportation on the marine environment in a highly successful Area Response Planning pilot project, which seeks to modernize the environmental response regime; and
  • Continued to implement a strengthened regulatory regime that sets out the standards to:
    • Control pollution in Canada’s waters from oil, chemicals, sewage and garbage;
    • Reduce the risks of introducing invasive species from the ballast water of ships arriving in Canada;
    • Protect the Arctic; and
    • Require ships to carry insurance to cover costs arising from oil pollution incidents;
• Continued to work with the Canadian Coast Guard^Footnote and the Canadian Hydrographic Service^Footnote on developing the Northern Marine Transportation Corridors Initiative and its future adoption as a government-wide strategic policy framework to prioritize federal investments and services affecting marine transportation in Canada’s arctic waters;
• Led the development of transportation sector regulations for the next generation of clean and resilient transportation by publishing proposed Locomotive Emissions Regulations in Canada Gazette, Part I^Footnote ;
• Began our review of the Navigation Protection Act (NPA) to restore protections and incorporate modern safeguards by:
  • Launching a Participant Funding Program in August 2016, to help Indigenous peoples participate in the NPA review process; and
  • Holding meetings with Canadians and stakeholders over a seven month period, during which we received valuable input and feedback that will shape the future directions for the NPA;
• Advanced work with other federal departments to formalize a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia’s North Coast. The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, was introduced in Parliament in the spring of 2017 by the Minister of Transport.

For Priority 3: “Develop long-term federal strategies to improve Canada’s transportation sector and infrastructure, taking into account the recommendations of the Canada Transportation Act^Footnote Review Panel”, in 2016-17, we:

• Began an extensive effort of policy analysis and consultations with Canadians, key transportation stakeholders, provincial and territorial governments and Indigenous groups. The Minister announced the results of these consultations on November 3, 2016, when he unveiled Transportation 2030: A Strategic Plan for the Future of Transportation in Canada;
• Advanced Phase 2 of the Government of Canada’s Investing in Canada Plan by:
  • Developing the Trade and Transportation Corridors Initiative^Footnote , announced in Budget 2017^Footnote . It includes measures that address congestion and bottlenecks along vital transportation corridors and around transportation hubs to improve access to world markets; and
  • Creating the National Trade Corridors Fund^Footnote to support trade-related transportation infrastructure projects across Canada;
• Developed the Transportation Modernization Act to advance a fairer, more efficient and transparent transportation services, which the Minister introduced in Parliament in spring 2017. It includes measures related to:
  • Air passenger rights;
  • Foreign ownership and joint ventures for airlines;
  • Rail freight; and
  • Locomotive voice and video recorders.

For Priority 4: “Optimize integrated resources management within Transport Canada”, in 2016-17, we:

• Equipped our inspectors with new portable tablets to help reduce paperwork and enable them to work more efficiently, in real-time, during site inspections;
• Successfully completed our Treasury Board mandated “Comprehensive Review” exercise, which is helping us reallocate resources to where we need them most, in a timely manner, and modernize our legislative, regulatory, oversight and cost recovery frameworks;
• Received the authority to update our cost recovery framework for 24 business lines over the next five years, including implementing service level agreements with clients; and
• Developed and applied targeted human resources (HR) recruitment and talent management strategies to address Transport Canada’s future workforce needs by partnering with Fisheries and Oceans Canada^Footnote to improve HR efficiencies, including running joint staffing competitions.

For more information on the results for each of our Programs, see the “Results: What we Achieved” section of this report.

Budgetary and Human Resources

The following table provides a summary of our department’s fiscal year-end actual spending (in dollars) and total human resources (Full-time equivalents-FTEs).