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.

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?”

Source: Perceptions of Air Travel Safety and Security in Canada: Wave IV, EKOS Research Associates (February 2007)

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