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4. Government of Canada Invests in Full Body Scanners and Behaviour Screening to Further Enhance Security at Canadian Airports

Government of Canada Invests in Full Body Scanners and Behaviour Screening to Further Enhance Security at Canadian Airports

No. H002/10
For release - January 5, 2010

OTTAWA — Canada’s Transport Minister, John Baird and Rob Merrifield, Minister of State (Transport) today announced that the Government of Canada is investing in full body scanners to enhance security at Canadian airports.

Starting this month, full body scanners will be installed at major Canadian airports. This technology will give passengers a choice between a full body scan and a physical search. The full body scanner will be used to reveal objects, including weapons and explosives that could be concealed under clothing. 

“The safety and security of Canadians is of the utmost importance to our government,” said Merrifield. This latest passenger screening technology and passenger behaviour screening will be added layers of security, which will provide a robust defence to further protect air travellers.”
 
“Given the recent terrorist incident on December 25, our government is accelerating its actions to protect air travellers,” said Baird. “The new full body scanners are the next generation of technology and balance safety and security with safeguards to privacy. They will allow for additional flexibility and enhancement to the security screening process.”

The full body scanner technology was tested last year at Kelowna Airport over several months to evaluate security effectiveness, collect operational performance data in an airport environment and validate the screening protocol for this type of technology. Health  Canada was consulted on the use of the technology and has indicated that it complies with Health  Canada requirements. In addition, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has confirmed that privacy concerns have been appropriately addressed.

The Ministers also announced that the Government of Canada will soon issue a request for proposal for passenger behaviour observation for passenger screening at major Canadian airports.

The request will seek a company to develop a passenger behaviour observation program and training.  Passenger behaviour observation screening consists of focusing on the passengers exhibiting suspicious behaviour, which could be an involuntary response to a fear of being discovered. 

Full details on the request for proposal will be posted on MERX, the Government of Canada’s electronic tendering service (www.merx.com).  This online system advertises government contracting opportunities to potential bidders.

For additional information on the scanner technology and passenger behaviour observation screening, please see the attached backgrounders.

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Backgrounder

Full Body Scanners at Major Canadian Airports

Full body screening technology will be installed at major Canadian airports to further enhance current screening capabilities. 

The technology generates images of the body to allow the detection of items being concealed under clothing without contact between the screening officer and the passenger. This is a voluntary option for passengers and provides a screening alternative to the physical search. 

The technology is used in over a dozen countries around the world. The full body scanners are deployed in airports as well as land border crossings, correctional facilities, courthouses, military checkpoints and commercial applications. It is one of the most effective methods of screening.

The technology works by projecting low-level millimeter wave radio frequency (RF) energy over and around the passenger’s body. The RF wave is reflected back from the body and from objects concealed on the body, producing a three-dimensional image. The entire screening process is harmless and takes about one minute.

The technology detects “anomalies” on a passenger, including metals and non-metals of all types, sizes and shapes; ceramic type threats such as knives and sharp instruments; liquids of all types; and explosives of all types. 

The technology was reviewed by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada during its trial period at Kelowna Airport, and the Commissioner has confirmed that privacy concerns have been appropriately addressed. Passenger privacy is fully respected because the technology does not retain personal information from the passengers it screens. The image is not correlated in any way with the name of the passenger or any other identifying information. The screening officer will review the images in a separate room, and will not be able to view the passenger; and the screening officer who is in control of the passenger will not be able to view the image from the full body scanner. In addition, the images are deleted from the system as soon as the review is complete.

Health Canada has reviewed the use of this technology in Canada. The energy projected by the unit is 1/10,000th of the energy coming from a cell phone.

January 2010

 

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Backgrounder

Passenger Behaviour Observation Screening

Budget 2009 provided funding to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to develop a passenger behaviour observation program.

The training on passenger behaviour observation screening will be customized to the Canadian airport operational environment and include rigorous quality assurance and oversight, recruitment and training.

This additional layer of security to Canada’s aviation system focuses on identifying irregular or suspicious behaviour and not racial or ethnic profiles. The emphasis is behaviour-based, for example, wearing heavy clothes on a hot day or sweating profusely. Screening officers trained in passenger behaviour observation screening may ask simple questions about the passenger’s identity and reasons for travelling to alleviate any security concerns. Similar programs are already in place in airport and law enforcement environments, like the Canadian Border Services Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as Special Transit Constables in a number of Canadian municipalities. 

Canada uses a multi-layered approach to aviation security that benefits from a variety of tools and methodologies. These include technologies, intelligence assessments and cognitive-based indicators. While no single layer of aviation security may defeat terrorism, together the layers of security provide a robust defence.

January 2010

Date modified:

2011-09-27

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