Amid declining safety ratings for Canada, the country’s air traffic controllers and airline pilots are calling on governments to take decisive action to prioritize and strengthen – not roll back – critical safety protections for air travel in this country.
The plea came as Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial ministers of transport gathered for their annual meeting late last week to discuss the nation’s most pressing transportation challenges, while still under the glare of the Delta plane crash at Pearson Airport in Toronto earlier in the week.
Nick von Schoenberg, President of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (CATCA), and Captain Tim Perry, President of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Canada, asked ministers to prioritize the recommendations of the comprehensive White Paper on Canadian aviation safety, ‘Charting a Flight Path for the Future of Canadian Aviation,’ which outlines how the current system “requires focused attention and resources to remain safe and sustainable.”
“Canadian aviation has long been recognized for its high safety standards. We cannot afford to weaken safety measures, such as our Flight Time and Duty Time regulations, in pursuit of cost-cutting or convenience. Aviation safety should never be compromised,” stated Perry.
ALPA and CATCA also called on the ministers to publicly commit to workers and the Canadian public – that they will not roll back critical aviation safety measures in favour of increasing operators’ bottom lines.
“The safety of passengers, crews, and all Canadians depends on robust, evidence-based regulations that prioritize safety,” said von Schoenberg. “Work intensification and fatigue remain serious concerns in air traffic control operations. Ministers must demonstrate leadership and work together with all stakeholders to ensure a system that is resilient, well-staffed, and safe for all.”
The organizations added, “The International Civil Aviation Organization’s 2023 audit of Canada’s aviation system has already provided a blueprint for what needs to be improved. Canada used to be among the top 10 performing countries but has now received a score of just 65%.”
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