The Aviation Security Working Group

The goal of the Aviation Security Working Group is to develop and implement a strategy that will establish equivalent approaches to aviation security for all of North America. The major initiatives being undertaken to support this goal include:

• The development, testing, evaluation and implementation of comparable aviation passenger screening, including the development of a unique, Canadian no-fly list that would be used to monitor or deny boarding to persons who pose a threat to flights to, from or within Canada.
• The use of comparative screening, inspection protocols and the expanded use of information systems for baggage and cargo being transported on passenger and cargo airplanes.
• The three countries have analyzed the possibility of developing comparable training standards for in-flight security officers.

There have been a number of successes in this area, such as:

• Canada, the U.S. and Mexico have formalized the role of the North American Aviation Trilateral (NAAT), in working towards trilateral aviation security issues, such as the coordination of prohibited items lists, incident management, aviation security training; and technical support, and airport and airplane staff training.
• The NAAT conducted a joint, trilateral man-portable air defence systems vulnerability assessment in December 2006 and agreed upon techniques to reduce vulnerabilities at an airport.
• An Air Cargo Task Team was developed to improve the security of cargo. It will meet to explore Canadian approaches to meet strict U.S. requirements on the issue.
• The RCMP has deployed federal investigators to major international airports in Canada to target organized crime and internal conspiracies; deployed highly skilled Air Carrier Protective Officers to respond to in-flight threats and developed protocols with DND; and the U.S. Air and Marine operations to detect, track, identify and interdict suspect aircraft.