Modernizing the Canadian Aviation Regulations: Consultation Overview

The goal of Transport Canada’s Let’s Talk Transportation: Modernizing the Canadian Aviation Regulations ( CARs) is to have a conversation with stakeholders, partners and citizens about Canada’s aviation safety regulations. The website, along with a generic email, gave stakeholders the chance to provide input directly to the Transport Canada’s Civil Aviation (TCCA), Aviation Safety Regulatory Review Team.

The consultation was held between September 24 and December 17, 2018 to seek input on irritants related to the CARs. We focused on two questions:

  • What specific irritants do you have with the Canadian Aviation Regulations and why?
  • What supporting documentation or specific detail can you provide?

The consultation webpage received 3,254 visits, 174 online submissions, and four email submissions to the generic inbox. We received feedback from aviation industry representatives, including Canadian air carriers and industry associations, among other interested stakeholders.

In total, the 178 submissions highlighted 290 irritants.

On this page

Key issues

Key issues raised include:

  • Outdated language and unclear definitions throughout the regulations leaves room for inconsistencies. A review and update of the wording, as well as better definitions would improve the CARs.
  • Fatigue rules with minimum rest periods are needed to maintain the health and down time requirements for the next scheduled duty day for pilots, cabin crew, aircraft maintenance engineers, and air traffic controllers, among other industry representatives.
  • Flight attendant ratios restored to 1:40 would ease workloads and provide passengers with better customer service.
  • Training requirements throughout the CARs are inconsistent and outdated, for example: human factors training, currency training, and course requirements.
  • Technology and avionics equipment are always evolving but regulations don’t take this into account.
  • Aviation Medicine regulations and handbooks need updating.
  • Transport Canada’s publications need to be easily accessible, updated, and consistent.
  • Review CAR 604, 702, 703, 704 and 705 to reduce application discrepancies by Canadian air operators and ensure that the regulations reflect the realities of today’s aviation industry.
  • Find opportunities to enhance international harmonization by aligning the CARs with other agencies, like the US Federal Aviation Administration and European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

The issues identified during this consultation period have been triaged by the TCCA’s Regulatory Review Team and grouped into the following five themes:

  1. Administrative
  2. Authorization/approval
  3. Harmonize
  4. Supporting material/regulation
  5. Technology

Responses will be further analyzed and added to the Team’s multi-year work plan.

Other feedback will be sent to the relevant team leads and will feed into future work of the Department, especially items requiring more extensive policy development.

More information on this project and TCCA’s forward plan can be found in the Transportation Sector Regulatory Review Roadmap and the Forward Regulatory Plan.

Next steps

TCCA will continue to ask questions on specific irritants and solicit feedback from specific stakeholders. Please visit Let’s Talk Transportation: Modernizing theCanadian Aviation Regulations for the latest updates.

Questions or concerns can be sent to the Aviation Safety Regulatory Review Team.

Related links