No. H027/12
For release - April 3, 2012
OTTAWA — The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today instructed Transport Canada to implement the recommendations outlined in the Auditor General of Canada's spring 2012 report. The report examined how the department oversees civil aviation.
"The Auditor General's report is a valuable review of our oversight program," said Minister Lebel. "We take these recommendations very seriously, and I have instructed my department to implement them by the end of 2013."
Despite significant increases in air traffic during the last ten years, the total number of accidents a year has also declined. In fact, Canada recently saw the total number of accidents decline to the lowest recorded figure in modern aviation history.
The department is continuously looking for ways to make the skies safer for all Canadians and agrees that there is still more that can be done to improve its administration of oversight activities.
Transport Canada has already made significant progress in addressing a number of the report's recommendations and will continue to make the Auditor General's recommendations a priority.
For example, the department is working on:
- putting a follow-up process in place to address complex safety issues in a more timely manner;
- improving processes, procedures and tools inspectors use to assess risk; and
- standardizing the tools, documentation and management oversight used to support inspections.
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Contacts:
Geneviève Sicard
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
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