The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA; french: Administration canadienne de la sûreté du transport aérien) is the Canadian

Crown Corporation A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...

responsible for

security screening A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information (state or organizational secrets) or to restricted areas, after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is ...

of people and baggage and the administration of identity cards at the 89 designated airports in Canada. CATSA responds to

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transporta ...

and reports to the Government of Canada through the

Minister of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

. The federal budget presented on March 19, 2019 included a reference to the possibility of

privatizing Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

CATSA. On June 21, 2019, Parliament passed the ''Security Screening Services Commercialization Act'', which allows the

Governor-in-Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it would mean the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of a ...

to designate a private not-for-profit corporation as the ''designated screening authority'' to take over and privatize the screening duties of CATSA. However, as a result of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

, the privatization plans have been delayed with no clear timeline for discussions to resume.

Constitution

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority was officially formed April 1, 2002, following the

terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

in the United States. After September 11, 2001, the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...

took responsibility for airport screening which, until then, was the responsibility of the airlines as per direction from

. The ''Canadian Air Transport Security Authority Act'' (Budget Implementation Act, 2001) provides additional security requirements as prescribed under the ''

Aeronautics Act The ''Aeronautics Act R.S. 1985, c. A-2'' (french: Loi sur l'aéronautique) is the legislation that governs civil aviation in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlant ...

''. CATSA shares responsibility for civil aviation security with several federal government departments and agencies, air carriers and airport operators. Transport Canada is Canada's designated national civil aviation security regulator, under the standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). CATSA contracts screening services to

private security companies A private security company (PSC) is a business entity which provides armed or unarmed security services and expertise to clients in the private or public sectors. Overview Private security companies are defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Stat ...

. There were 5,747 active screening personnel across Canada in 2020–2021, and 7 million passengers screened. Passenger levels in 2020–2021 were significantly lower than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Controversy

CATSA has been implicated in the past by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada for collecting non-aviation security information from the traveling public. For example, a domestic traveler with large sums of cash (not illegal) has in the past, been reported by CATSA to the local police force. Of the 10,400 reported incidents in CATSA's databases at the time of the audit, more than half had nothing to do with aviation security.

Former heads of CATSA

Past heads of CATSA have had law enforcement background. Both Duchesneau and McGarr served with the Montreal Urban Community Police Service (SPCUM). Watt is a former

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

officer and once

Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force The Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (French: ''commandant de l'Aviation royale canadienne'') is the institutional head of the Royal Canadian Air Force. This appointment also includes the title Chief of the Air Force Staff and is based a ...

. * Jacques Duchesneau, 2002–2008 * Kevin McGarr, 2008–2012 *

Angus Watt Lieutenant-General (Canada), Lieutenant-General William Angus Watt, Order of Military Merit (Canada), CMM, Canadian Forces Decoration, CD is a Canadians, Canadian retired air force general who was Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Chief of ...

, 2012–2017 * Michael Saunders, 2017–present

References

External links

Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)
{{authority control Canadian federal Crown corporations Federal departments and agencies of Canada Aviation security Aviation in Canada Government agencies established in 2002 Transport Canada 2002 establishments in Ontario

Constitution

Controversy

Former heads of CATSA

See also

References

External links