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News Release

Canadian Transportation Agency Marks 100 Years at the Heart of Transportation

OTTAWA - January 29, 2004 - On February 1, 2004, the Canadian Transportation Agency marks 100 years of service to Canadians in the field of transportation regulation.

Marian L. Robson, the Agency's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: "The Agency and its predecessors reflect nothing less than the evolution of Canada itself, its economic development and its changing place in the world."

The Board of Railway Commissioners was established one hundred years ago, on February 1, 1904, as the first independent regulatory body created by what was then Canada's Dominion Government. It became the model for not only the transportation agencies that succeeded it, but for federal regulators in other fields as well.

"It is not surprising that the Canadian government's regulatory history would have been pioneered by a transportation board," Mrs. Robson added.

On February 17, 2004, the Agency will launch "100 Years at the Heart of Transportation", a chronicle of its history in the making. The centennial's historical perspective will be distributed to major public libraries, and college and university libraries, across Canada and available on the Agency's Web site at www.cta.gc.ca.

Among its centennial activities, the Agency is working with National Transportation Week organizers to bring Canada's transportation leaders together in Ottawa on June 3, 2004. This year's theme is "Transportation innovation and accessibility". During National Transportation Week, a panel will be held to discuss "Innovative Solutions for Accessible Transportation - today and tomorrow". It will highlight best practices in accessibility within the federally-regulated transportation network.

The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates various modes of transportation under Government of Canada jurisdiction, including air, marine and rail. The Agency's mission is to administer legislation and Government of Canada policies to help achieve an efficient and accessible transportation network within Canada.

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Note to editors

Attached are the historical highlights of the Agency and its predecessors.

For further information or a copy of the Chairman's centennial message, please contact:

Craig Lee
Director, Communications
(819) 953-7666

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• On February 1, 1904, the Board of Railway Commissioners was established as the Government of Canada's first independent regulatory body with authority to regulate railways.

• The Board of Railway Commissioners existed for 34 years until the Board of Transport Commissioners was created in 1938 to assume additional authority over air and marine matters.

• The Government of Canada, seeking a tighter rein on the airline industry, created a separate Air Transport Board on September 11, 1944.

• The Canadian Maritime Commission was formed in 1947 to give particular focus to the marine industry which had grown considerably during the Second World War. The Canadian Transport Commission took marine matters under its wing in 1967.

• The Canadian Transport Commission, which emerged on September 19, 1967, was created to deal with all modes of transportation as a competitive whole.

• After 20 years, the move to deregulation in Canada led to the creation of the National Transportation Agency on January 1, 1988. In 1992, the Agency was given additional powers to make federally regulated transportation accessible for persons with disabilities.

• The trend toward less-intrusive regulation continued with the proclamation of the Canada Transportation Act on July 1, 1996, which transformed the National Transportation Agency into the Canadian Transportation Agency, further de-regulating transportation while introducing some new consumer protections in the airline industry.

• On July 5, 2000, the Agency received additional consumer protection responsibilities when an Air Travel Complaints Commissioner was added to its membership. The Commissioner can intervene when a traveller has tried resolving a complaint with an airline and is still unsatisfied, and can make recommendations about any related matter, including quality of airline service and airline pricing practices.