Governance Backgrounder

Governance can be defined as the process by which organizations decide who will make decisions, undertake the decision making process and are accountable to their shareholders. Coordination and collaboration with stakeholders and partners is critical to effective governance.

In its simplest form, CATSA's front-line screening operations include private sector service providers hired by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), the operating arm of Transport Canada, which is the regulatory body for all transport security in Canada. Governed by a Board of Directors, and operated by an executive team, CATSA is a Crown corporation based in the National Capital Region. As a security authority, CATSA supports the National Security Policy.

The creation of CATSA in the form of a Crown corporation governed by a Board of Directors provides CATSA with the autonomy necessary to implement private-sector expertise, by way of its Board members, with the accountability and public confidence of a corporation.

CATSA is accountable to Canadians and reports to Parliament through the Minister of Transport, its primary shareholder on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians.

The separation of the regulatory body, Transport Canada, from the operating body, CATSA, creates a system of checks and balances.

The eleven member Board of Directors for CATSA is made up of individuals with experience in the aviation, transportation, security and intelligence fields. These individuals also have business skills, leadership qualities and knowledge of the federal government, financial matters, and governance. A distinctive trait of CATSA is that the Board hires the CEO, not the Governor in Council, a practice that is compliant with the Gomery Report recommendations.

CATSA's activities are scrutinized by the Treasury Board and its finances are reviewed annually by the Auditor General and subsequently tabled in Parliament. Cabinet approved the memoranda that define CATSA's mandate and purview.

CATSA is focused on results, and as such, utilizes a Balanced Scorecard methodology, which is a system of linked objectives, measures, targets and initiatives which collectively describe the strategy of an organization and how it can be achieved. A comprehensive Business Intelligence software application allows specific reports for particular audiences to be published upon request in order to monitor performance against these strategic objectives. By embracing this technology, CATSA has established itself as a leader in the practical application of information technology in government and was recognized in 2005 with a nomination for the Enhancing Government Operations award at the GTEC Awards, established to formally recognize and celebrate leadership, innovation and excellence in enabling and managing e-government within the public sector.

Quarterly reports are issued to the Board of Directors and management which contain results and analysis for each of the corporate-level performance measures. The Authority also issues an annual report, available to the public on its Web site.