Operating Environment

Introduction

CATSA analyzes its internal and external operating environments in an ongoing effort to plan strategically and adjust operations as necessary to deliver its mandate.

Human Resources Management

CATSA relies on a highly skilled and diverse workforce at its headquarters and regional offices.

The organization has conducted a number of prioritization and workforce planning exercises over several years in an effort to identify and prioritize resource requirements to address capacity concerns, address the needs of the organization, and meet the expectations of the Government of Canada, industry stakeholders and passengers.

Based on CATSA’s critical work to identify resource needs, the Government of Canada approved an augmented workforce through CATSA’s 2023/24 Corporate Plan. The additional eighty-four full-time equivalents (FTEs) will be fully in place by 2025/26 to help address the increased pressures on operations with a particular focus on new technology deployment, requirements for enhanced screening, training of screening officers, oversight, improved wait time service level, and cybersecurity, as well as the heightened expectations related to Government of Canada priorities.

The following table illustrates the planned distribution of CATSA’s FTEs. The regional teams are deployed at all Class 1 airports, where they are responsible for the overall planning, delivery and oversight of screening operations.

CATSA’s service delivery model for screening services entails the contracted engagement of third-party screening contractors to provide certified and dedicated screening officers to carry out screening at the eighty-nine designated airports across Canada. CATSA is currently transitioning to new screening services contracts, with an effective date of April 1, 2024. The following table illustrates the current screening contractors engaged in each region, and the contractors who will be engaged effective April 1, 2024.

Passenger Traffic

CATSA’s passenger traffic forecasts predict increased growth over the planning period, as depicted in the following table.

Screening Operations

As CATSA moves forward following the pandemic and subsequent industry recovery, the organization will strive for ongoing progress and leverage lessons learned to best prepare for the future. In particular, CATSA is on track to achieve its 2024/25 goals relating to hiring additional screening officers as well as increasing its training development and delivery capacity.

In order to respond to predicted passenger growth as well as any other future changes in air travel demand, CATSA will continue to re-examine and innovate internal processes in areas including training development and capacity, as well as program delivery, maximizing flexibility, while respecting the broader regulatory framework and security context.

In addition to its on-going participation on the Airports Recovery Operations Committee, CATSA collaborates in various fora aimed at improving performance reporting and accountability and enhancing data sharing to further improve operations and passenger communication protocols. CATSA encourages open and transparent communication among all partners to explore innovative solutions to the challenges the civil aviation industry faces, particularly where there are opportunities to create a better overall passenger journey and prepare for any future disruptions to the civil aviation system.

Alignment with Government of Canada Directions and Priorities

CATSA actively supports the Government of Canada’s broader social, economic, environmental and general governance agenda wherever applicable and possible.

The Minister of Transport’s March 2023 letter of expectations to the Chair of CATSA’s Board of Directors (Appendix A) affirmed the understanding that the organization will help the Minister advance the Government of Canada’s priorities through enhanced collaboration. CATSA maintains an extensive mapping of its progress on ministerial expectations and shares this with Transport Canada on a quarterly basis. CATSA’s commitment to the broader priorities of the Government of Canada can be found in Appendix H.

Also, as part of Budget 2023, the Government of Canada announced an initiative aimed at refocusing government spending.

Civil Aviation Ecosystem

While CATSA is Canada’s designated national civil aviation security screening authority, aviation security is a shared responsibility. As CATSA operates in a highly integrated, complex and evolving airport ecosystem, the organization works closely with air carriers, airport authorities, third-party screening contractors and local law enforcement agencies. CATSA also collaborates with a number of other federal departments and agencies, most notably its regulator Transport Canada, the Canadian Transportation Agency, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The organization will emphasize proactive partnerships, particularly as it relates to achieving a high level of security effectiveness and improving the passenger journey.

CATSA also engages with several international partners to share trial results, lessons learned, and best practices to advance continuous improvement opportunities. These partners include but are not limited to, the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as well as other foreign airport screening agencies, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Response to External Audits

Three significant audits have provided a focus for CATSA’s efforts in continuous improvement:

• The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Special Examination report (2015/16) concluded that CATSA’s systems and practices provide reasonable assurance that assets are safeguarded and controlled, resources are managed economically and efficiently, and operations are carried out effectively. CATSA agreed with each of the OAG’s seven recommendations and all recommendations have been addressed. This report can be accessed publicly. A subsequent Special Examination began in 2023/24, and a report is expected in 2025.
   
• Following the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages 2017 audit report on CATSA’s provision of bilingual services to the travelling public, the organization exhibits continuous improvement in its approach to official languages, taking proactive steps to address the audit findings and continuing its official language activities. This report and the subsequent audit follow-up can be accessed publicly.
   
• The OAG’s Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities report (2023) focused on whether or not CATSA identified and removed existing barriers and worked towards preventing transportation barriers for persons with disabilities. CATSA has developed an action plan to address the OAG’s recommendations and continues its work towards removing barriers within the transportation system. The initiatives outlined in the action plan are expected to be completed in their entirety in 2024. This report can be accessed publicly.