Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the
department within the government of
Canada which is responsible for developing
regulations,
policies and
services of
transportation in Canada.
The Department of Transport was created in 1935 by the government of
Mackenzie King in recognition of the changing transportation environment in Canada. It merged two historic departments the former
Department of Railways and Canals and the
Department of Marine under one dynamic minister
Clarence Decatur Howe who would use the portfolio to rationalize the governance and provision of all forms of transportation (air, water and land). He created a
National Harbours Board and
Trans-Canada Airlines. The Department of Transport Act came into force
November 2,
1936.
Prior to a
1994 federal government reorganization, Transport Canada had a wide range of responsibilities including the
Canadian Coast Guard, the
St. Lawrence Seaway, airports and seaports, as well as
VIA Rail. Significant cuts to Transport Canada resulted in the coast guard being transferred to
Fisheries and Oceans and the seaway and various ports and airports being transferred to local operating authorities.
Transport Canada is responsible for the
Transportation Safety Board of Canada which investigates accidents involving the marine, air, and rail industries.
Perhaps, the biggest challenge for Transport Canada came in the aftermath of the
September 11, 2001 attacks. After the U.S.
Federal Aviation Administration closed down U.S. airspace as a result of the terrorist attacks, Transport Canada shut down Canadian airspace, to take in U.S.-bound international flights, launching
Operation Yellow Ribbon.
The current
Minister of Transport is the Honourable
Lawrence Cannon.
One of Transport Canada's primary goals is to improve road safety. The
Motor Vehicle Safety Act was established in 1971 in order to create safety standards for cars in Canada.
Until
1996, Transport Canada was responsible for both regulation of aviation and the operation of air traffic services, similar to the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the , as well as the operation of most major airports. On
November 1 1996, these responsibilities were split: Transport Canada remains responsible for regulation, but a new regulated non-profit company,
NAV CANADA, took over responsibility for all civilian air traffic services. This change was (and remains) controversial because Nav Canada began charging for services that were previously funded through general tax revenue. In
2005, the United States was discussing a similar privatization of the FAA's air traffic services.
During the 1990s, Transport Canada also began privatizing the operation of large airports, and divesting itself of small airports altogether (typically handing them over to municipalities). Following the
1994 National Airports Policy, Transport Canada retains ownership of all airports with 200,000 or more annual passenger movements, as well as the primary airports serving the federal, provincial, and territorial capitals, but leases most of these airports (which make up the
National Airports System) to outside operators; currently, there are 26 airports in the system.
Transport Canada continues to be responsible for licensing pilots and other aviation specialists (such as dispatchers and mechanics) as well as registering and inspecting aircraft. It is also responsible for the safety certification of most forms of commercial operations. These responsibilities are carried out by 6 regions, Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie & Northern and Pacific. The other region based in Ottawa is responsible for air operators operating international flights and certain types of large aeroplanes.
The provinces also have their own transportation departments, namely to deal with roads and vehicle licensing and regulations.
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:Category:Airports in Canada*
Transportation Safety Board of Canada*
Transport Canada
