Patterns for change: 1966 - 1976

Firefighters, trained by the Canadian Coast Guard, operate a lifesaver-shaped oil skimmer. Plastic discs on the motor-driven skimmer pick up oil so it can be pumped into containers.
(TRANSPO 82)
By the mid-1970s, pollution was a major concern and the department began working towards protecting people and the environment from transportation-related pollution.

Canada was celebrating 100 years of Confederation as the Department of Transport began its fourth decade — and the department had a role to play in the festivities.

People across the country organized special events and centennial projects of all shapes and sizes, including a rash of home-built hot-air balloons that called for speedy additions to the Department of Transport's airworthiness regulations.

Expo 67

The department also contributed to the success of Expo 67, the smash hit exposition in Montreal that drew millions of visitors from around the world.

  • The air services branch expanded the transborder facilities at Dorval Airport to accommodate the influx of visitors from the United States.
  • Special weather forecasts for the fair site were issued daily by the meteorology services branch and distributed nationally and internationally.
  • The marine services branch provided a special channel to the marina at La Ronde to keep pleasure craft away from the busy main channel of the St. Lawrence River.

The centennial year event that would prove to be of most significance to Transport Canada, however, was the passage of the National Transportation Act, 1967.

The legislation set out, for the first time, a policy statement and principles to address the needs and capabilities of the national transportation system. It included the concepts of cost recovery and intermodal competition and established a new regulatory agency — the Canadian Transport Commission, forerunner of the Canadian Transportation Agency.

Major reorganization

By 1970, a major reorganization of the department had taken place. Now called the Ministry of Transport, the new corporate structure had four "administrations" for air, marine, surface and Arctic operations, and a central strategic planning and policy group. It also included the newly-created Transportation Development Agency and Crown corporations such as Air Canada, the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority and the Canadian National Railway.

Shortly after these changes, two of the department's large operational branches were transferred to other organizations. The Canadian Meteorology Service became part of Environment Canada in 1971, and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development assumed responsibility for non-commercial canals in 1972.

By the mid-1970s, the department was having to contend with major influences that were just beginning to emerge when the National Transportation Act was passed in 1967. Among these were: the energy crisis; pollution concerns (particularly in relation to the introduction of large ocean-going bulk container vessels); threats to transportation security with the increase in hijacking incidents; and growing demand for the country's natural resources.

To address these and other concerns, a comprehensive review of TC's role was carried out and, in 1975, yet another new policy framework for the department was announced.

The new policy was based on three major premises: that transportation is essential to the country's economic and social development; the national transportation system must be efficient enough to respond to problems and challenges as they arise; and costs of transportation must be assumed as much as possible by those using the services.

The department would spend the next few years translating these broad themes into specific policies and programs for all transportation modes.

Creation of new programs

During this period, when the essential role of Transport Canada came under such close scrutiny and policy development was the order of the day, the department also was surging ahead with new programs to ensure transportation safety and efficiency. Among these were:

  • establishment of a Road and Motor Vehicle Traffic Safety Office which, in 1973, coordinated a five-year program with the provinces and territories to improve highway safety in Canada and reduce the road traffic fatality rate by 15 per cent;
  • major port development at Roberts Bank, in Vancouver, and Prince Rupert in growing recognition of the importance of the Pacific Rim to Canada's prosperity;
  • consolidation of operational training units into the Ministry of Transport Training Institute (later the Transport Canada Training Institute and currently the NAV CENTRE) in 1975 and the addition of management training;
  • development of a National Airports Plan to guide planning for airport systems and establishment of the Airports Revolving Fund;
  • negotiation of the world's largest bilateral air agreement with the United States and introduction of the "division of the world" program to define international routes for Canada's two major air carriers;
  • introduction of regulations making emergency locator transmitters mandatory equipment for aircraft; and
  • examination of alternative transportation modes such as air cushion vehicles and short take off and landing (STOL) aircraft.

All in all, it was a decade of incredible change, during which the department developed policies and programs to provide a safe and efficient national transportation system in an increasingly complex domestic and international environment.