Transport Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Departments of the Government of Canada |
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| Transport | |
| Transports | |
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| Minister | Lawrence Cannon |
| Established | 1935 |
| Responsibilities | Transportation |
| Employees | N/A |
| Department Website | |
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada.
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[edit] History
The Department of Transport was created in 1935 by the government of Mackenzie King in recognition of the changing transportation environment in Canada. It merged two historic departments the former Department of Railways and Canals and the Department of Marine under one dynamic minister Clarence Decatur Howe who would use the portfolio to rationalize the governance and provision of all forms of transportation (air, water and land). He created a National Harbours Board and Trans-Canada Airlines. The Department of Transport Act came into force November 2, 1936.
Prior to a 1994 federal government reorganization, Transport Canada had a wide range of responsibilities including the Canadian Coast Guard, the St. Lawrence Seaway, airports and seaports, as well as VIA Rail and CN Rail. Significant cuts to Transport Canada at that time resulted in CN Rail being privatized, the coast guard being transferred to Fisheries and Oceans and the seaway and various ports and airports being transferred to local operating authorities; Transport Canada emerged from this process as a fundamentally different organization focused on policy and regulation as opposed to transportation operation.
Perhaps, the biggest challenge for Transport Canada came in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. After the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration closed down U.S. airspace as a result of the terrorist attacks, Transport Canada shut down Canadian airspace, to take in U.S.-bound international flights, launching Operation Yellow Ribbon.
The current Minister of Transport is the Honourable Lawrence Cannon.
[edit] Roles
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[edit] Road
One of Transport Canada's primary goals is to improve road safety. The Motor Vehicle Safety Act was established in 1971 in order to create safety standards for cars in Canada. The department also acts as the federal government's funding partner on jointly-funded provincial transportation infrastructure projects for new highways.
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[edit] Rail
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Transport Canada's role in railways include:
- railway safety
- strategies for rail travel accessibility
- safety of federally regulated railway bridges
- Inspecting and testing traffic control signals, grade crossing warning systems
- rail operating rules
- regulations, standards and services for safe transport of dangerous goods
- Canadian Transport Emergency Centre to assist emergency response and handling dangerous goods emergencies
[edit] Marine
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Transport Canada is responsible for the waterways inside and surrounding Canada. These responsibilities include:
- responding and investigateing marine accidents within Canadian waters
- enforcing marine acts and regulations
- establishing and enforcing marine personnel standards and pilotage
- Marine Safety
- Marine Security
- regulating the operation of marine vessels in Canadian waters
[edit] Aviation
Until 1996, Transport Canada was responsible for both regulation of aviation and the operation of air traffic services, similar to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, as well as the operation of most major airports. On November 1, 1996, these responsibilities were split: Transport Canada remains responsible for regulation, but a new regulated non-profit company, NAV CANADA, took over responsibility for all civilian air traffic services. This change was (and remains) controversial because Nav Canada began charging for services that were previously funded through general tax revenue. In 2005, the United States was discussing a similar delegation of the FAA's air traffic services to an "arm's-length" government corporation.
During the 1990s, Transport Canada also began privatizing the operation of large airports, and divesting itself of small airports altogether (typically handing them over to municipalities). Following the 1994 National Airports Policy, Transport Canada retains ownership of all airports with 200,000 or more annual passenger movements, as well as the primary airports serving the federal, provincial, and territorial capitals, but leases most of these airports (which make up the National Airports System) to outside operators; currently, there are 26 airports in the system.
Transport Canada continues to be responsible for licensing pilots and other aviation specialists (such as dispatchers and mechanics) as well as registering and inspecting aircraft. It is also responsible for the safety certification of most forms of commercial operations. These responsibilities are carried out by 6 regions, Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie & Northern and Pacific. The other region based in Ottawa is responsible for air operators operating international flights and certain types of large aeroplanes.
[edit] See also
The provinces also have their own transportation departments, namely to deal with roads and vehicle licensing and regulations.
