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Remarks by Jacques Duchesneau, C.M., President and CEO, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
Women's Transportation Seminar
Transportation Security: What next and at what cost?
November 23, 2005
SFU Harbour Centre
Vancouver, BC
Introduction:
Before I begin, I would like to extend a special thanks to Lecia Stewart for inviting me to speak to you this evening and to participate on this distinguished panel.
I would also like to congratulate the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) for your great work in advancing the involvement of women in the field of transportation.
As you probably already know, some extraordinary women have helped shape the aviation industry in Canada. Women such as Rosella Bjornson, the first female pilot in Canada to be hired by an airline and Deanna Brasseur one of the first three Canadian women in the military to earn her "wings. She later became Canada's first female aircraft accident investigator.
Organizations, like WTS, are helping a new generation of women find opportunity and recognition in the aviation transportation industry in Canada.
Transportation Security, What Next and at What Cost?
Today's topic of discussion is Transportation Security, What Next and at What Cost?
In order to understand what's next for aviation security, it is important to understand what CATSA is and what it does.
Overview of CATSA
CATSA's first and foremost priority is security. We are tasked with protecting the lives of air travelers.
We have put in place a layered security system to ensure that threat items do not get on board aircraft.
We accomplish this through our six responsibilities.
We are responsible for pre-board screening of passengers and their luggage.
As well, CATSA is responsible for acquiring, deploying operating and maintaining sophisticated explosives detection systems at airports.
We contract RCMP to protect selected flights and all flights to Reagan National Airport. We help fund police programmes and on-site presence at airports.
We are adding another layer of screening for non-passengers using biometric readers. The restricted area identification card uses fingerprint and iris identifiers to screen airport workers entering restricted areas;
In Vancouver, we worked with the Vancouver Airport Authority to develop the, satellite Pre-Board Screening (PBS) checkpoints. This allows us to screen cruise ship passengers. The use of the PBS lines in the satellite facility helps us effectively and quickly screen up to 600 cruise passengers per hour from the main concourse. (In 2004 there were 30,000 passengers and 50,000 bags screened at the airport's satellite location. In 2005, 73,000 passengers and 122,000 bags were screened.
All of these programs work independently but in tandem to ensure the integrity of the system and to deter terrorist attacks.
As the President and CEO of CATSA, I can tell that you after three and a half years of operations, we have accomplished what we were set up to do.
We have the best security system possible for the Canadian context; one that balances security with the rights and freedoms of passengers. I would even go so far as to say that Canada has one of the best aviation security systems in the world today. We have installed state-of-the-art screening equipment. We have instituted some of the world's best training for screening officers. We invest over $4,000 in the training of each screening officer, having doubled and even tripled the level of training compared to pre 9/11 levels. We are a recognized world leader in the implementation of biometric security cards and are leading the way in bringing together countries, including the US, UK, Australia and Israel to share best practices.
We screen over 37 million passengers a year, over 60 million pieces of checked luggage a year and over 2,000 airport workers every day.
What Next?
But we are not satisfied with our successes. As a security organisation, we need to be in constant evolution to face ever-changing threats.
We know that terrorists will seek to exploit weaknesses in our transportation system and in our security measures. Terrorists will adapt to the security measures we have put in place. No security system will ever be 100% effective.
So what's in store next for CATSA? We must be proactive in proposing and implementing effective responses to emerging threats.
As an accountable aviation security authority, we are using four key principles to navigate our operations.
Allow me to elaborate:
a) Operational flexibility;
b) Access to actionable intelligence;
c) Financial flexibility; and,
d) Working effectively with our partners and the government of Canada
Operational Flexibility
What do I mean by operational flexibility?
We are a young organization. We are striving to mature into an agile, effective security expert. To do this, CATSA must be strategic. We must be able to anticipate. We need to respond more swiftly and effectively to mitigate threats.
Given the unpredictability and rapid change reflected in terrorist events around the world, our security approach must be flexible and adaptable. More and more we are moving towards a risk-based system. We need to thoroughly understand our risks and apply our limited resources to those high-risk areas.
We will continue to work with Transport Canada to identify security gaps, propose solutions and take action and close the gaps.
We will continue to work with Transport Canada and our aviation stakeholders to achieve a common-sense approach to prohibited items.
We cannot allow terrorists to use the predictability of our security measures to their advantage in planning or carrying out an attack.
Access to Actionable Intelligence
We are working with our partners in the security community to ensure we have the right information to do our job.
To deliver sound security, we need access to timely intelligence. Having this type of information allows us to evaluate risks and consequences. With timely intelligence, we can factor in known and unknown terrorist threats and adapt this knowledge into our defences.
Financial Flexibility
We need to ensure we have financial flexibility.
As a Crown corporation, we manage public funds efficiently and economically for maximum security impact. We need to be able to shift funds and resources to the areas that present the most concern; this will enable us to ensure we have a security system which is efficient, effective and highly responsive to evolving security threats while mindful of the needs of the industry and the traveling public.
Working Effectively with our Partners and the Government of Canada
And that means continued close cooperation with airports, airlines and service providers. Together, we will ensure the security of the traveling public and the best quality customer service for Canadians.
Conclusion
CATSA has accomplished a lot in three and a half short years. And our work is just beginning.
As a security agency, security is CATSA's first and foremost duty. With that responsibility comes the commitment to respect the rights of each individual who comes through our screening stations.
With the input of people like yourselves, we in the aviation and security industries can strike the correct and essential balance between security and treating individuals properly.
Thank You.