The Canadian Transportation Agency ensures compliance with the Canada Transportation Act and regulations through an enforcement division with offices across the country. The enforcement division conducts inspections and investigations, and can issue warnings and fines.

Inspections and investigations

Enforcement officers periodically visit airlines and air cargo companies to ensure they meet all the terms of their licences. The Agency issues these licences once the airline or air cargo company has obtained proper insurance, has its aircraft certified by Transport Canada, and meets ownership requirements.

During the visit an enforcement officer will:

• Review the company's ownership
• Verify its licence and other required documents
• Review its insurance policy
• Examine its financial records, including tickets and invoices
• Review its tariffs to ensure they comply with the licence and the law
• Ensure that companies that are required to train employees to help persons with disabilities have the necessary training program in place.

Regularly, enforcement officers also visit airports, and rail and marine terminals to ensure that employees have the training they need to serve persons with disabilities.

Enforcement officers can issue warnings and penalties. The penalties can reach $5,000 per offence for individuals, sole proprietorships and partnerships, and $25,000 for corporations.

Targeted investigations

Enforcement officers will investigate an airline or air cargo company if they think it does not meet the terms and conditions of its licence, or operates without a licence.

Officers can act based on their own observation and knowledge, or when they receive information from the public, another transportation company or law enforcement officers.

When licensed companies don't fully meet their responsibilities, this places place the public at risk, and leaves properly-run companies at a competitive disadvantage.

You can help

Before you book your flight make sure the airline has a valid licence for the service it offers. Look up a licence.

If you have concerns about an operator, information that an aircraft may be used illegally, or if you know someone who may be planning to use the services of an unlicensed operator, please contact us. Your information could help prevent a dangerous situation. You do not have to identify yourself.

Enforcement measures

When enforcement officers believe that a transportation company has contravened the law, they will issue a warning, levy a fine, or turn the matter over to the police for prosecution.

• Warnings: When someone has contravened the Canada Transportation Act or regulations for the first time, the enforcement officer will normally send a warning letter. The recipient can ask the Agency within 30 days to review the warning. If the review shows that the recipient did not commit the offence, the Agency won't take any further action. But if the review shows the recipient did commit the offence, the Agency will record that fact for use in further enforcement actions.
• Fines: An enforcement officer may issue a Notice of Violation if someone contravenes the same provision of the Canada Transportation Act or regulations for a second time within four years. The Notice of Violation describes the offence and requires that a fine be paid within 30 days.

If the violator asks for a review hearing, the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada will schedule one, hear arguments from the violator and the enforcement officer, and issue a ruling. The violator can appeal the decision to the Tribunal and subsequently ask for judicial review by the Federal Court of Canada.

Penalties

* An individual in this case also means a sole proprietorship or partnership. In most cases, an employee is viewed as an agent of the employer. The employer is therefore liable for the misconduct of its employees and is the subject of any enforcement action.

For information on enforcement, please contact one of the Agency's enforcement officers.

For any other information, please follow this link: How to contact the Canadian Transportation Agency.