Transport Canada encyclopedia topics

History

The Department of Transport was created in 1935 by the government of Mackenzie King in recognition of the changing transportation environment in Canada. It merged two historic departments the former Department of Railways and Canals and the Department of Marine under one dynamic minister Clarence Decatur Howe who would use the portfolio to rationalize the governance and provision of all forms of transportation (air, water and land). He created a National Harbours Board and Trans-Canada Airlines. The Department of Transport Act came into force November 2, 1936.

Prior to a 1994 federal government reorganization, Transport Canada had a wide range of responsibilities including the Canadian Coast Guard, the St. Lawrence Seaway, airports and seaports, as well as VIA Rail and CN Rail. Significant cuts to Transport Canada at that time resulted in CN Rail being privatized, the coast guard being transferred to Fisheries and Oceans and the seaway and various ports and airports being transferred to local operating authorities; Transport Canada emerged from this process as a fundamentally different organization focused on policy and regulation as opposed to transportation operation.

Perhaps, the biggest challenge for Transport Canada came in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. After the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration closed down U.S. airspace as a result of the terrorist attacks, Transport Canada shut down Canadian airspace, to take in U.S.-bound international flights, launching Operation Yellow Ribbon.

The current Minister of Transport is the Honourable Lawrence Cannon.

The Registrar of Imported Vehicles is a private contractor to Transport Canada. All motor vehicles being imported into Canada must meet certain criteria set by the Government of Canada and administered by the Registrar of Imported Vehicles. The Registrar of Imported Vehicles does not have any process for appeals of their decisions, particularly relating the acceptability of documentation relating to "Recall Clearances". The RIV has in some instances decided to only accept certain documents for which vehicle manufacturers may or may not charge any fee they wish.

Current Structure of Transport Canada

Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Lawrence Cannon

Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Deputy Head Infrastructure and Communities Louis Ranger Deputy Minister

Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security, Marc Grégoire
Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs,
Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, Kristine Burr
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Andre Morency
Director General. Communications
Regional Director General, Atlantic Region
Regional Director General, Quebec Region , Andre Lapointe
Regional Director General, Ontario Region, Debra Taylor
Regional Director General, Prairie and Northern Region
Regional Director General, Pacific Region
Departmental General Counsel, Jules Pigeon

Transport Canada org chart

Road

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act was established in 1971 in order to create safety standards for cars in Canada. The department also acts as the federal government's funding partner on jointly-funded provincial transportation infrastructure projects for new highways.

Rail

Transport Canada's role in railways include:

railway safety
strategies for rail travel accessibility
safety of federally regulated railway bridges
Inspecting and testing traffic control signals, grade crossing warning systems
rail operating rules
regulations, standards and services for safe transport of dangerous goods
Canadian Transport Emergency Centre to assist emergency response and handling dangerous goods emergencies

Following allegations by shippers of service level deterioration, on April 7 2008, the federal government of Canada launched a review of railway freight service within the country. Transport Canada, which is managing the review, plans to investigate the relationships between Canadian shippers and the rail industry, especially with regards to the two largest railroad companies in the country, Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway. The review period is expected to last more than a year and could lead to new regulations for carriers.

Marine

Transport Canada is responsible for the waterways inside and surrounding Canada. These responsibilities include:

responding and investigating marine accidents within Canadian waters
enforcing marine acts and regulations
establishing and enforcing marine personnel standards and pilotage
Marine Safety
Marine Security
regulating the operation of marine vessels in Canadian waters
As of 2003 the Office of Boating Safety and the Navigable Waters Protection Act were transferred back to Transport Canada. As was certain regulatory aspects of Emergency Response (Oil pollution)

Aviation

Transport Canada's role in aviation seems to be the most detailed, and also the most controversial. Until 1996, Transport Canada was responsible for both regulation of aviation and the operation of air traffic services, similar to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, as well as the operation of most major airports. On November 1 1996, these responsibilities were split: Transport Canada remains responsible for regulation, but a new regulated non-profit company, NAV CANADA, took over responsibility for all civilian air traffic services. This change was (and remains) controversial because Nav Canada began charging for services that were previously funded through general tax revenue. In 2005, the United States was discussing a similar delegation of the FAA's air traffic services to an "arm's-length" government corporation.

During the 1990s, Transport Canada also began privatizing the operation of large airports, and divesting itself of small airports altogether (typically handing them over to municipalities). Following the 1994 National Airports Policy, Transport Canada retains ownership of most airports with 200,000 or more annual passenger movements, as well as the primary airports serving the federal, provincial, and territorial capitals, but leases most of these airports (which make up the National Airports System) to outside operators; currently, there are 26 airports in the system.

In 2003, Transport Canada launched its Electronic Collection of Air Transportation Statistics (ECATS) program to collect passenger and cargo data in real-time from air carriers flying in Canada. ECATS will expand into the field of General Aviation during 2008.

Transport Canada continues to be responsible for licensing pilots and other aviation specialists (such as dispatchers and mechanics) as well as registering and inspecting aircraft. It is also responsible for the safety certification of most forms of commercial operations. These responsibilities are carried out by 6 regions, Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie & Northern and Pacific. The other region based in Ottawa (National Capital Region) is responsible for air operators operating international flights and certain types of large aeroplanes.