Governance

In CATSA's view, "governance" can be defined as the process by which organizations decide who will make decisions, undertake the decision making process and be accountable. Coordination and collaboration - with stakeholders and partners is critical to effective governance.

When the Government of Canada was looking at establishing a new organization to oversee air transport security, it had the choice of several different models of organization. Ultimately, it was decided that the creation of a Crown corporation governed by a Board of Directors would provide CATSA with the autonomy necessary to implement private-sector expertise with the accountability and public confidence of a government department.

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

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. CATSA is focused on results and as such, 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 in the Corporate Publications section of this site.

CATSA's Board of Directors is made up of individuals with experience in the aviation, transportation, security and intelligence fields, who 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. Details about members of the Board of Directors and Executive Team can also be found on this Web site.

For more detailed information on governance, please visit our Media Centre for a backgrounder on the subject.