4 TRANSPORTATION SAFETY
AND SECURITY
Canadians’ confidence in transportation security in all modes continued to increase. There were fewer fatalities in the aviation, marine and rail transportation modes; however, there was
an increase in fatalities in the road transportation mode.
The number of reported accidents decreased in the aviation, marine and rail transportation modes
and increased for the road transportation mode.
Transport Canada promotes the safety and security of
Canada's transportation system. This system is made up
of the air, marine, rail and road modes and includes the
transportation of dangerous goods. A safe and secure
transportation system reduces the likelihood of
transportation occurrences that result in the loss or
damage to life, health and property. It also enables the
efficient flow of people and goods, protects the
environment from pollution that can result from
occurrences, and is an essential contributor to the health,
quality of life and prosperity of all Canadians.
Transport Canada supports this safety and security
objective through policy development, rule making,
monitoring and enforcement, and outreach activities. It
establishes and implements legislation, regulations,
standards and policies for all modes of transportation.
The department’s monitoring and enforcement activities
include issuing licences, certificates, registrations and
permits; monitoring compliance through audits, inspections
and surveillance; and responding appropriately in cases
of non-compliance. In particular, the department’s
inspectors monitor the system to ensure the rules and
policies are being followed and, if they have to, enforce
them. Transport Canada strives to make transportation
system users and industry aware of the requirements and
it actively promotes, educates and increases awareness
of safety and security issues.
Responsibility for the safety and security of the
transportation system is shared by many different
stakeholders. Transport Canada collaborates with other
federal departments and agencies whose programs and
services may be affected by transportation activities. For
example, to promote aviation security, the department
works with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
(CATSA), which is responsible for delivering air transport
security screening services in accordance with Transport
Canada regulations and standards.
Transport Canada also works with provincial, territorial
and municipal governments particularly in maintaining the
highway system, promoting and enforcing road safety,
and co-delivering the Transportation of Dangerous Goods
(TDG) program. The department works closely with
transportation sector industries, agencies and associations,
all of which have a vested interest in transportation
infrastructure, the regulatory regime and transportation
safety and security.
In addition, Transport Canada works internationally to
promote Canada’s views and values on safety, security
and environmental protection, to harmonize safety and
security standards, and to share best practices in safety
and security systems. For example, Transport Canada
collaborates with other countries, such as the United States
and Mexico, and with other international partners, such
as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in
these endeavours.
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Canada’s transportation system is already one of the
safest and most secure in the world. Even so, the country
continues to work diligently to further improve the system.
Transport Canada measures public confidence in the
safety and security of each transportation mode. The data
reveal that, in the case of all four transportation modes, at
least 96 per cent of those Canadians who have an opinion
rate them as either moderately or extremely safe and
secure. Figure 4-1 shows the most recently available
ratings (March 2006).
FIGURE 4-1 : PUBLIC’ S CONFIDENCE RATING OF THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF AIR, RAIL, MARINE AND ROAD TRAVEL
“Canada’s transportation system includes air, rail, road, and marine travel… How would you rate the overall SAFETY AND SECURITY of each of the following modes of transportation?”
![Figure 4-1](/web/20071206101742im_/http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/en/Report/anre2006/images/Fig4-1e.gif)
Source: Perceptions of Air Travel Safety and Security in Canada: Wave IV, EKOS Research Associates (February 2007)
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A measure of transportation safety is the number of
occurrences that result in an accident. In 2006, there were
fewer accidents in the aviation, marine and rail modes of
transportation and about the same number in the road
mode (2005). There were fewer accidents involving the
transportation of dangerous goods. Compared with last
year and the five-year average, there were fewer fatalities
in aviation, marine and rail but more fatalities in road
transportation (2005). There was one fatality caused by
dangerous goods that involved the transportation of
dangerous goods, consistent with the five-year average.
With the exception of a few fluctuations in rail, the safety
performance record in the three other transportation
modes has contributed to a long-term downward trend in
accidents reported over the past 10 years.
One of Transport Canada’s key evolving strategic
directions to further improve transportation safety and
security over the long term is the implementation of the
Safety and Security Management Systems (SMS/SeMS).
The SMS/SeMS are formal frameworks designed to
integrate safety and security performance into the daily
operations of a transportation enterprise. The rail mode is
well on its way to implementing SMS regulations, while
the marine mode is moving toward increased adoption for
operators of Canadian domestic vessels. New SMS
regulations for aviation came into effect in June 2005.
In terms of enhancing transportation security, in 2006,
Transport Canada continued a number of activities,
including legislative and regulatory enhancements,
programs and international initiatives. Transport Canada
also actively contributed to such federal government
initiatives as the National Security Policy and the Security
and Prosperity Partnership.
Canadians are confident in the security of air travel.
This confidence continued to increase in 2006. For
example, one half (49 per cent) of those surveyed
reported having high confidence in the security of air
travel. This confidence has been growing since 2002,
when only slightly more than one third (36 per cent)
expressed confidence. This is an increase in confidence
of 13 percentage points over the last three years.
Canadians also believe that there are sufficient security
procedures in place to protect them. Even if they do not
feel immune to the activities of terrorists, they do
nevertheless feel confident in the effectiveness of the
security measures that have been implemented.
The rest of this chapter reviews developments and
initiatives concerning the safety and security of Canada’s
transportation system during 2006. First, it reviews
the 2006 safety records by mode and then discusses
and reviews transportation security and the related
enhancements undertaken in 2006.
Transportation Safety
Transportation Security
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