Operating Environment

Introduction

CATSA relies on highly skilled and diverse personnel at its headquarters, regional offices and at security checkpoints to implement programs, processes and procedures that help ensure the safety and security of passengers and non-passengers interacting with the Canadian civil aviation system.  

Human Resources Management

CATSA is an incredibly lean organization with a workforce of 448 full-time equivalents (FTEs). The organization’s workforce has remained relatively consistent over the last 8 years, particularly following the Deficit Reduction Action Plan conducted between 2012/13 and 2014/15. Notably, CATSA reduced its workforce by 10.7% in 2012/13 and by a further 6.4% in 2014/15.

Despite the organization’s adaptability and ongoing prioritization initiatives over the last few years, it has become increasingly challenging to sustain mandated programs and activities, as well as corporate services, with the limited depth of resources and the demand to support an increasing number of significant projects and initiatives. With the demand for planning, policy and program development, reporting, ongoing maintenance and training continuing to increase, CATSA’s resources have remained stagnant.

Based on CATSA’s extensive work to identify resource needs, the organization’s workforce will be augmented by eighty-four FTEs over the planning period to help address the increased pressures on baseline operations with a particular focus on technology deployment, training, oversight and cybersecurity, as well as the heightened expectations related to Government of Canada priorities. This increase accounts for net new positions as well as the conversion of some fixed-term positions to indeterminate FTE positions.

Without theses additional FTEs, longstanding capacity concerns will be intensified. CATSA will not be able to sustain current workloads or support a healthy work environment, resulting in employee stress and dissatisfaction and a decrease in resiliency and corporate performance over time, including a limited capacity for innovation.

The following table shows the high-level planned distribution of CATSA’s FTEs. The regional service delivery teams are deployed at all Class 1 airports in each of CATSA’s four administrative regions, 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. The screening companies currently engaged in CATSA’s administrative regions are: East—Securitas Transport Aviation Security Limited; Central—GardaWorld; Prairies—GardaWorld; and Pacific— Allied Universal Security Services of Canada.

Screening Operations in an Evolving Civil Aviation Landscape

In 2022, the civil aviation industry began to recover from the substantial consequences of the pandemic. CATSA responded as swiftly as possible to the volatile operating landscape and protracted industry recovery, including unpredictable passenger traffic, by adjusting operations where suitable while remaining focused on the organization’s security mandate.

In 2022/23, CATSA screened 57.6 million passengers, representing an increase of 134.7% compared to 2021/22, and 84.8% of the 2018/19 pre-pandemic traffic. The organization began preparing for this rebound in passenger traffic in spring 2021, working collaboratively with screening contractors to recall laid off screening officers. Despite these efforts, the organization experienced some operational challenges during the early parts of the recovery period due primarily to the challenging labour market conditions experienced by many front-line service industries as well as the rapid and unprecedented increase in passenger traffic in spring and summer 2022. These challenges were felt by other screening authorities globally as well.

CATSA intensified its efforts and collaboration with its screening contractors, Transport Canada and other industry partners to address the operational pressures and delays experienced at certain checkpoints across the country.

Recovery and Post-Pandemic Civil Aviation Landscape 

The sharp decline in passenger traffic and the subsequent volatile economic recovery has been incredibly challenging for all industry partners and stakeholders. In addition to significant impacts to CATSA’s operations, other industry stakeholders faced financial pressures and adjusted operations.

Passenger volumes reached a historic low in April 2020, when screened traffic saw a reduction of over 97% compared to April 2019. CATSA responded by adjusting operations and proactively engaging with its screening contractors to retain 75% of the pre-pandemic screening officer workforce. As the process to acquire security clearances for screening officers and train new recruits can take several months to complete, the industry recovery would not have been possible in summer 2022 without this retention strategy. This approach also prevented much more significant layoffs, thereby mitigating more severe and long-term impacts to operations and aviation stakeholders. However, given the unpredictability surrounding the speed and nature of such a recovery, should a similar situation occur in the future, CATSA may need to consider maintaining a greater percentage of screening officers.

Furthermore, in early spring 2021, CATSA directed its screening contractors to recall laid off screening officers and hiring new screening officers in anticipation of rebounding passenger traffic and peak travel seasons. As with many front-line services across various industries, some screening officers chose not to return. Recruitment efforts continued within the confines of ongoing travel and public health restrictions in anticipation of a growth in travel beginning in December 2021.

In spring and summer 2022, Canada and other parts of the world experienced a significant and unprecedented demand in passenger traffic. More specifically, the consequential speed at which passenger traffic increased had a significant effect on passenger wait times at certain airports, notably various checkpoints at Toronto Pearson, Vancouver and Montreal Trudeau international airports.

The following graph depicting 2022 passenger traffic and wait time service levels demonstrates that, as passenger volumes steadily increased, there was a significant negative impact on wait time service levels during parts of spring/summer 2022, especially during peak periods. However, wait times began normalizing as new screening officers were hired and trained. In fact, CATSA had fully recovered and was performing above its funded wait time service level within a few months.

In order to ensure wait times met targeted funded levels and strive for a positive passenger experience, CATSA’s screening contractors accelerated their existing staffing efforts by hiring and training more than 1,800 screening officers between April and August 2022 and an additional 500 screening officers were hired by December 2022 in anticipation of projected holiday forecasts provided by air carriers.

It is important to note that during this time, screening contractors experienced challenging labour market conditions, like many sectors across Canada and throughout the world. Staffing challenges were systemic throughout the industry, from resources processing clearance applications to RAIC issuance, and candidate availability.

Additionally, screening contractors and unions have been negotiating collective agreements against a backdrop of high inflationary pressures. CATSA has employed certain levers to support screening contractor efforts to recruit screening officers, such as seeking a Transportation Security Clearance Program exemption for training and leveraging the use of pre-certified screening personnel for non-security functions.

To accommodate the increased hiring, CATSA substantially augmented its training capacity and advocated for a streamlined clearance process to ensure efficient on-boarding of screening officers. The preceding graph illustrates how this workforce ramp-up significantly and positively impacted wait time service levels during all periods, including at peak times. As more screening officers were hired, trained and deployed to front line operations, wait time service levels rebounded.

In addition to the steps the organization took pre-emptively to prepare for an eventual increase in passenger traffic which began in spring 2021, CATSA worked with industry partners to address the operational pressures and unexpected delays at various checkpoints in spring and summer 2022. Although CATSA concentrated its efforts primarily on screening officer workforce recovery, the organization worked closely with screening contractors to build on workforce capacity, and collaborated with Transport Canada to seek regulatory flexibilities that would allow accelerated training while remaining focused on security effectiveness.

Moving Forward Based on Lessons Learned

Moving forward and taking lessons from the experience of spring 2022, CATSA began planning for summer 2023 operations in early fall 2022 in collaboration with various industry partners, including the Government of Canada. This preparation included an assessment of screening officer resource requirements to meet projected passenger traffic, and the development of recruitment and training plans to facilitate the achievement of those targets. As a result of experiences through the pandemic recovery, CATSA continues to re-examine and/or innovate internal processes in areas such as training development and program delivery in order to be more nimble and more flexible, while respecting the broader regulatory framework and security context.

Furthermore, in response to labour market disruptions throughout 2022/23, CATSA has been working closely with its screening contractors to ensure that screening officer attrition and backfill recruitment are being addressed expeditiously.

The rapid initial recovery also highlighted that certain parts of the organization require increased resilience. For example, the organization’s already overextended training capacity was further exposed by the need to accelerate the onboarding of thousands of new screening officers in a shorter than expected time frame. The challenge of onboarding thousands of new screening personnel was further compounded by the high level of screening officer attrition experienced throughout the latter half of 2022. In order to address these internal pressures and meet the expected demands for summer 2023, CATSA secured additional training space and redeployed employees to support the existing training staff. It is critical to the organization’s future operations to hire and retain an adequate amount of training personnel, as reflected in this corporate plan.

In addition to staffing efforts, CATSA further supported the recovery in partnership with government and industry partners, including collaborative efforts as part of the Airports Recovery Operations Committee and the COVID-19 Recovery Working Group. Despite differing mandates and imperatives, this essential collaboration has been critical to the recovery of civil aviation, and conducive to CATSA’s strategy for reducing wait times at security screening checkpoints. To further support collaboration, CATSA enhanced its existing information sharing efforts with key stakeholders, including Transport Canada, to ensure the Government of Canada was well aware of challenges, as well as improvements, in the organization’s operations.

CATSA will continue to work proactively and collaboratively with all partners and stakeholders to explore innovative solutions to the challenges the industry faces in the aftermath of the pandemic, particularly where there are overlapping interests and opportunities to create a better overall passenger journey.

Additionally, the organization will continue to encourage open and transparent communication among all partners to leverage lessons learned to prepare and adapt for any future disruptions to the system. This collaboration, and the timely sharing of actionable information among stakeholders, was found to be critical during the pandemic recovery phase and will continue to be applicable in a more normal operating environment. As the industry recovery progresses and passenger traffic continues its upwards momentum, CATSA will strive to position itself for success in the future within the confines of the organization’s funding levels, influence and regulatory regime.

Alignment with Government of Canada Directions and Priorities

As a purpose-driven agent Crown corporation, a member of the federal government, and a national and global partner in civil aviation security, 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 expectation to the Chair of CATSA’s Board of Directors (Appendix A) affirmed the understanding that CATSA will help the Minister advance the Government of Canada’s priorities through continued collaboration between CATSA and the Government of Canada. The letter of expectation covers three themes:

• Improved Service Delivery;
• Better Accountability and Integration with Other Air Sector Operators; and
• Screening that respects Canada’s diversity and inclusion values.

The organization’s commitment to the broader priorities of the Government of Canada can be found in Appendix H. 

Key Partners

While CATSA is Canada’s designated national civil aviation security screening authority, aviation security is a shared responsibility. CATSA operates in a highly integrated, complex and evolving airport ecosystem with different entities assigned to specific security responsibilities. The organization therefore 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, as well as the Canada Border Services Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who are key security partners. The organization will continue to work with all partners, with an emphasis on proactive partnerships for the collective benefit of all involved, particularly as it relates to achieving a high level of security effectiveness and improving the passenger journey.

CATSA also works closely with several international partners, including, but 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).