:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Bonjour. I am Kevin McGarr, president and CEO of CATSA. Joining me today is Ron McAdam, CATSA's general manager of new technology. We are pleased to be invited here today to speak with you and to answer any questions you may have.
The attempted bombing incident at Christmas is a stark reminder of how the events of 9/11 created an unprecedented global awareness of the link between air travel and terrorism. In Canada, this attempted attack on our close neighbour underlined the need for continued vigilance on our own home front.
Since 9/11, CATSA has been working to protect the public by securing critical elements of the air transportation system. As outlined in the CATSA act, we do this by delivering effective, efficient, and consistent security screening services that are in the public interest.
The December 25 incident, along with other recent acts at attempted terrorism, serve to remind all of us of the importance of aviation security and the continuous need for vigilance and preparedness in the face of impending threats.
I'd like to take a moment to provide you with some of the most recent advancements we have made in aviation security.
In the area of pre-board screening, we have deployed multi-view x-rays across the country, installed full body scanners in all class 1 airports, networked walk-through metal detectors in Canadian airports for data collection to help with improved passenger throughput, and hired more oversight officers to better monitor screening officer compliance and performance and ensure consistency.
For hold bag screening—that is, the checked baggage—we have been continuously evaluating the latest explosive detection equipment in a new testing facility that significantly enhances CATSA's ability to evaluate new leading-edge technology and helps us to maintain international security compatibility.
[Translation]
We are exploring ways to further secure the critical restricted areas in airports, including the screening of non-passengers, and are currently finishing construction of a vehicle checkpoint at Vancouver International Airport.
On a broader level, we have improved our communications with passengers through the launch of a new user-friendly website and mobile site, launched a passenger campaign based on extensive research to help target our efforts to specific types of travellers and their needs, and improved the consistency of airport signage across the country.
[English]
As I consider where we are now and our recent upcoming activities, it is not without considerable pride. In the last eight years, CATSA has undergone huge growth. We have moved from establishing operations to maintaining those operations and, more recently, to improving them. We have shifted from reacting to threats to undertaking proactive planning action, because we now have the stability and expertise in place to move in that direction.
It is a shift where our continuing efforts to use resources more efficiently will lead to better throughput of passengers; where those efficiencies, combined with improvements in customer service, will result in higher satisfaction levels among the travelling public; where better compliance with our standard operating procedures will produce consistency across the country; and where continuous efforts to strengthen our relationship with Transport Canada and our screening contractors will ensure ongoing respect, trust, and openness.
[Translation]
We're getting there. With the recent deployment of full-body scanners, we have added an additional layer of security that provides us with higher detection capabilities, while, at the same time, improving our customer service by giving air passengers who don't want to be physically touched during a search an alternative option.
We have also embarked on a new trusted traveller trial, Nexus, in partnership with the Canada Border Services Agency, Transport Canada and airport authorities. The Nexus program, a joint CBSA and U.S. customs border protection initiative, is designed to expedite border clearance for low risk, preapproved travellers into Canada and the U.S.
An added benefit is that, in Ottawa, Nexus card holders are now able to use a designated screening line. We are currently looking at the potential to expand this to other airports. This represents a concrete step toward risk-based screening.
Transport Canada and CATSA share the same idea that, by focusing on the higher-risk traveller, we can achieve greater efficiencies with better targeted resources.
[English]
Along those same lines, we are at the planning and development stages with our passenger behaviour observation program. It's a proactive initiative that looks at behavioural indicators to help identify deceptive activities being undertaken to circumvent security measures before any threat can be carried out. Our number one priority continues to be striking the right balance between keeping planes secure while providing the best in customer service.
Internally, we are adopting a regional model of organization to improve our service delivery and oversight. This involves bringing the people responsible for service delivery closer to front line operations and ensuring that there is flexibility to respond to local needs.
We are committed to implementing a rigorous performance measurement program to ensure that our operations are the most effective they can be. The only way to truly reach excellence in operational efficiency is by measuring how we are doing, focusing on what we do best, and fixing what we can do better.
The announcement of long-term funding for CATSA in the latest budget will go far in moving us in this direction. We can now plan and invest for the long term, maintain our core mandated activities, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our programs with the certainty that this investment brings.
At the same time, we will be preparing to implement the recommendations stemming from our strategic review. These include options to streamline our operations and enhance the cost-effectiveness of our activities to make the best possible use of resources afforded to us by Canadian taxpayers.
If the crisis stemming from December 25 taught us anything, it was that we as an organization need to be able to manage change better. As we take this into account and transform the way we do business, know that we are taking on this challenge openly and willingly. We are committed to change because we know that it will take us where we want to go, it is in the best interests of Canadians, and it is critical to our continued success.
[Translation]
Our most recent challenge—the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games—provided us with an opportunity to experience change on all levels as we stepped outside of our usual arena to demonstrate the best in aviation screening services to the world.
I am proud of the hard work and outstanding efforts put forth by CATSA employees, our partners in the aviation industry, and by the screening officers who worked on the front lines ensuring that all visitors who travelled by air—to and from the Games and elsewhere across Canada during this period—experienced excellence in aviation security.
[English]
CATSA will build on that momentum as we move forward with a renewed commitment to delivering world-class aviation security to Canadians in the most effective and efficient way possible.
Thank you.
Thank you for appearing before our committee, Mr. McGarr.
Personally, Mr. McGarr, I cannot congratulate CATSA. Allow me to explain. One of your major responsibilities is preboarding. In December, there was one incident in the United States, after which there were endless delays as passengers waited to be screened. It is your responsibility to anticipate these kinds of situations. It is obvious that, if terrorists wanted to disrupt air travel, they would do so during peak periods, that is, during the Christmas break or other holidays. But you were not ready.
You are asking for additional funding, which is all very well and good, but the fact remains that your obligation is to provide the service, and to ensure that passengers do not have to wait endlessly in line before boarding their plane. That is your responsibility. You hire subcontractors. In the contracts you have with them, are there any provisions dealing with extraordinary situations, when extra staff have to be hired, and when you have to ensure that passengers receive adequate service and can board their flights in a reasonable time? The fact that organizations such as yours take an enormous amount of time to provide service to passengers when there is one glitch is the thing that is killing the air travel industry. As a result, it is inevitable that people will criticize Canada's airline system.
So are you ready to deal with these types of situations?
:
Thank you so much for being here today to share your expertise in this particular area.
It is a well-known fact that air traffic in Canada has declined significantly in the last 10 years or so. It isn't much of a coincidence that the steepest plunge in that frequency of air traffic occurred in the year following September 11, 2001, with the terror attacks that took place on that day.
I guess that trend has only recently started to show some signs of recovery, but we're still nowhere near the totals from before 2001. I'm sure the recent volcanic activity has not done anything to improve that either, but September 11 really was a game changer for the world in many ways, not the least of which was for our aviation system and the security that surrounds it.
Restoring the confidence of Canadians in air travel has meant that as governments we've had to respond with new comprehensive security measures and other measures to counter the reality we face from terrorist threats. I think Canadians have two concerns when they're going through airport security. One of those is in regard to ensuring that they are safe and feel safe on the airplane they are about to board. The other one is that they often face long lineups at security, and they want to make sure that, in ensuring their safety, they're not unduly delayed.
I think some of the most recent measures taken to deal with both of those issues would include the full body scanners that are being installed at the major airports and the development of passenger behavioural programs to identify suspicious or erratic behaviours. I'm wondering if you could speak to those two measures.
First, in your opinion, what is the effectiveness of the full body scanners and of the observation of individual behaviour? Secondly, how much better do the two measures work when they're used in concert? Do you see any weakness inherent in one of the measures that's sufficiently covered off by the strengths of the other measure?
First, with respect to the full body scanners, the full body scanners have proven to be an extremely effective technology for detecting items on a person. The alternative, or the primary method, of detecting non-metallic threats has always been a physical search. The introduction of the full body scanners has been brought forward in order that passengers may choose.
The use of the scanners is 100% voluntary. Passengers have the choice between submitting to a physical pat-down search or using the technology. The reception of the technology by the travelling public has been very positive.
The vast majority of Canadian passengers prefer using the technology to a physical search. They find it less invasive, especially in the manner in which we have integrated the technology into our screening operations, whereby the person viewing the image has no opportunity to see the person related to that image, and the officer at the screening portal who sees the passenger has no access to the image of that passenger, which is being monitored in a separate room out of the view of the passenger.
So we feel that the technology is very effective and that the way it is being used is being very well received by the travelling public and has increased the level of comfort and efficiency of our operations.
With respect to passenger behaviour observation, we have undertaken the development of a passenger behaviour observation program with a firm specializing in this area. We believe this will allow us the opportunity to identify passengers who demonstrate indicators that they wish to deceive the security screening process, and it will allow us to ensure that these passengers receive the secondary screening measures currently in place, be it the physical search or, if they choose, the use of the full body scanner. Again, it will be their choice.
Using these technologies in concert allows us to be far more efficient in the allocation of resources, and we'll do that without giving away an iota of the effectiveness of the security screening. In my opinion, the full body scanner is just as effective as the physical search conducted by a screening officer. Joining the two programs will allow us to be more efficient without losing any effectiveness--we will actually gain effectiveness--and will increase the comfort of Canadians travelling with our air transport system.
:
Good morning. Thank you very much for inviting us again. It's always a pleasure.
Maintaining a secure aviation security regime is a key component of Transport Canada's mandate, and we're working with our partners, such as CATSA, in doing so.
Ongoing domestic and international intelligence reports confirm that civil aviation remains a favoured target for terrorists globally and that Canada remains a possible target. The seriousness of this target was underscored throughout the world and here at home on December 25, 2009, when a terrorist attempted to detonate an explosive on a flight between Amsterdam and Detroit.
Indeed, the fact that this incident occurred over Canadian air space illustrates that Canada is not immune to terrorist attack. This is but the latest reminder that terrorists are continuing to seek new ways to bypass the measures we have in place.
Transport Canada's efforts in aviation security go back many decades, since Air India in particular. Also, September 2001 was another key milestone in Canada's aviation security program, and the government has made major investments in aviation security.
In total, the government has allocated over $4 billion since 9/11 towards this goal. We improved the system and closed important gaps by creating CATSA to ensure consistent screening at Canadian airports. We reinforced cockpit doors on commercial aircraft. We established an inflight security officer program, run by the RCMP. We implemented biometric restricted-area identity cards at airports. We strengthened our oversight and inspection regime.
[Translation]
More recently, in budget 2010, the government announced $1.5 billion for CATSA and Transport Canada to enhance Canadian aviation security with advanced technology, more screeners, and improved programs. Budget 2010 also allocated $37.9 million over two years to secure a key sector of Canada's aviation system by implementing a comprehensive air cargo security program.
We have been working very hard to help accelerate the implementation of these enhancements in light of the December 25, 2009 incident and the impact that new security requirements have had on travellers and industry, although the US measures have now been modified and impacts are much reduced.
The line-ups and wait times we saw at our airports following the December 25, 2009 incident illustrate the challenge that we face in striking the right balance between security and efficiency, or in other words, the challenge of maintaining security while limiting the social and economic costs attached to security measures. This is particularly true in times of crisis. We must always remember that the aviation system is widely integrated. We must meet international obligations under the international civil aviation organization. This is essential if we want to allow our aviation industry to compete on an even playing field and to maintain unfettered access to important destinations like the United States.
Nonetheless, we recognize that having passengers line up for hours at airports for screening is not sustainable, as it damages the aviation industry, results in lost productivity and unacceptable inconvenience for Canadians, and ultimately impacts our economy.
[English]
The good news is that CATSA is rolling out more efficient and internationally compatible screening technology. They are continuing to study their processes and develop new approaches, as we heard this morning, including the trusted traveller pilot project currently under way at the Ottawa airport. Another example, which was also discussed at length, is the installation of full body scanners at major Canadian airports.
We are also actively working on new ways to improve the system and bring down the costs. One great example is exploring the possibility of integrating passenger behaviour observation into the screening processes. By focusing our efforts on potential higher-risk passengers, we expect to improve screening effectiveness and at the same time potentially target our resources where the benefits are the greatest.
[Translation]
However, as we make the screening process more secure, we recognize that terrorists may shift their focus to other “softer” targets at the airport. That is why we are in the process of establishing regulatory requirements for airports to develop security plans aimed at addressing the full range of risks facing their operations, including outside the restricted areas where the public and passengers may congregate.
We are also actively engaged with our international partners to improve the security of the global system. Over the last four months, Transport Canada and Public Safety have participated in a number of regional ministerial meetings on aviation security in Mexico, Japan and Nigeria. We are also allocating funding to build capacity in countries that need our help to meet these important security requirements.
[English]
As I've tried to illustrate, Transport Canada's approach to aviation security is based on continuous improvement. We welcome and appreciate input and suggestions from international and domestic partners, and we have, to the extent possible, incorporated the recommendations of various studies over the past few years.
In particular, we look forward to the committee's comments and suggestions that may come forward from your study of aviation security as we move on a variety of fronts and in the face of many challenges. We will continue our commitment to ensure the safety and security of passengers while maintaining the efficiency and competitiveness of Canada's aviation industry.
Thank you.
Bonjour, monsieur Grégoire. Merci de votre présentation ce matin. That's the end of my French.
Thank you for being here. Thank
you for the discussion this morning.
I am constantly amazed at the creative minds that are
always looking for new ways to injure and destroy people. There was an economist some years ago from Austria, by
the name of Schumpeter, who talked about the theory of “creative destruction” and how new technologies always take
away the need for the old technologies. I think his prime example was the automobile and how it took over from the
need for carts and horses.
I think about the constant change of technology that's going on in
our airports to keep Canadians safe, and how, in many ways, many of the capital expenses that you may have made a
very short time ago have now been overtaken by the need for new technologies because of the destructive minds that
are out there imposing this on you in reality. So I'm very interested, because we've talked about a lot of the
capital costs for the mechanical technologies that need to be purchased, but we haven't really explored a whole lot
about this new behavioural study that's going to be done at the airports.
I wonder whether we
could talk about that a little bit here this morning. Could you talk about this behavioural screening program and
where we're at in that development? When do you expect the program to be in place? Do we have any idea of the costs
that are anticipated? Behaviour analysis is a very complex area of psychology. Is this a new career path for
psychologists? Is this an area that our universities are going to have to address in their curriculum? Can you
speak to this?
:
Unfortunately, I cannot answer all of your questions, and there were many of them.
We have been in the security business for a long time in Transport Canada, but more so after the Air India bombing. For many, many years, the approach internationally has been to treat everybody the same and to get everybody through the same screening process. But because our equipment is sophisticated and our processes are complex, and because terrorists are still interested in aviation and still trying to be extremely creative in finding gaps in the system, we think we have to better focus the efforts on people who might represent a higher risk.
The difficulty is how to choose the people who would then be subject to more rigorous screening. You can do that by doing behaviour analysis or, like some other countries would say, by characterization of passengers. But you have to do this in such a manner—and it's the same in every country we're discussing—that it will not ever be seen as profiling.
For instance, in Israel, they do passenger behaviour analysis, and Israel has to be careful, politically speaking, themselves. They have over two million people of Arab origin within Israel and they could not be perceived to screen only Arabs and not to screen Jews. So if we ever start such a program in Canada, it has to be based strictly on behaviour.
But there are a number of things that can be done to determine if somebody should go through additional screening. The way it's done normally is just by looking at people and their behaviour, but also by asking a few questions of people, by asking them where they're going and what are they doing. Also, document analysis can tell a long story on how to do that.
A few years ago in the United States, the Transportation Security Administration started a pilot project at Boston's Logan airport. That project was successful, so they decided to train a large number of behaviour detection officers. I think they have 600 to 900 now in place--let's leave it in that range--wandering around the screening point to see who should be selected for additional screening. The principle is that everybody is going to go through the first line of screening, but those behaviour detection officers would help detect those people in need of a secondary search.
Today in most countries the secondary search is strictly random. In Ottawa, for instance, you walk on the carpet, and if the arrow is to the left, you've been selected for a secondary search. But we think there are more intelligent ways to do that, and that's through behaviour detection analysis. That's why the government has decided to invest in the design of the program and the design of a training program, but the government has not decided yet to fund the establishment of such a program.
:
I have to say two important things at this point.
First of all, it was an exceptional measure on the part of American authorities that stretched out over several months, from early January until two weeks ago, the Wednesday after Easter, April 6 or 7, I have forgotten the exact date. It was impossible to predict that the Americans would come up with a measure like that.
That said, Canada is not the only country to have suffered. Canada suffered more because of the high volume of passengers traveling between our two countries. Every day, there are between 500 and 550 flights leaving Canada to go to the United States. That is 1,100 flights in both directions. Twenty-one million passengers travel to the United States every year.
Nevertheless, those who traveled to European countries, England, France, Germany or even Mexico, were affected by the chaos. There were endless lineups everywhere because no authorities in any of those places were ready to conduct secondary searches on 100% of passengers and to search hand luggage. No one was ready for that. Airline staff everywhere and authorities in various countries had to take exceptional measures to absorb the additional workload. All countries indicated to the United States how much difficulty it caused.