Program directory · Transport Canada
Aviation Security Oversight
- Department
- Transport Canada
- Program code
- BTW05 (TC)
- Core responsibility
- Safe and Secure Transportation System
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
Our Aviation Security Program is tasked with ensuring that Canadian aviation regulated entities (i.e., aerodromes, air carriers, Primary Security Line Partners (namely a tenant with a restricted area access point to the aerodrome), the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and Air Cargo Security Program participants) remain in compliance with the Canadian aviation security regulatory framework. The approach we take focuses on: ensuring each regulated entity can build their own internal security expertise, as well as develop effective incident management procedures, plans and tools; promoting compliance by conducting inspections and tests; and taking enforcement actions when required.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aviation Security Oversight | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $180M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Indicators added: The percentage of follow-up inspections where full compliance is achieved | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators dropped: Compliance rate trends: the percentage of follow-up inspections where full compliance is achieved following identification of non-compliance; The percentage of planned risk-based oversight activities completed | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Indicators added: The percentage of aviation security inspections that yielded no findings | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Indicators dropped: The percentage of follow-up inspections where full compliance is achieved; The percentage of planned aviation quality control reviews completed | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Spending $34.3M, against $25M in 2022-23 (+37%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $64M, against $32.7M in 2024-25 (+96%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2026-27 | Planned spending $28.2M, against $64M in 2025-26 (−56%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≥ 80% | 2024 | 89% The total number of inspections was 6,698; 6,025 passed – 673 failed. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 80% | 2025 | 92% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≥ 80% | 2023 | — In 2022-2023 Aviation Security was in the last year of using an older inspection reporting system. Functionality issues of that security system resulted in follow-up inspections not being properly identified. Therefore, it was not possible to determine from the data the number of follow up inspections where full compliance was achieved. As such, no results are provided for 2022-23. It should be n… | No result reported |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 80% | 2019 | 73% In Aviation Security Operations, Regional Managers are responsible for performing quarterly quality control checks on each of their inspectors. However, the activities of some Transportation Security Inspectors will vary in any given quarter due to acting assignments, HQ assignments, and inspectors changing their program of inspection (i.e. from AvSec to SIMS). As a result, it can be difficult to… | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 80% | 2020 | 90% | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 80% | 2021 | 77% Actual result is within the 10% threshold. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 80% | 2022 | 83% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 80% | 2023 | 78% In 2022-23, the targeted result for ‘planned aviation security quality control reviews’ was not met due to operational demands. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 80% | 2019 | 87.7% | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 80% | 2020 | 74% | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 80% | 2021 | 87% | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 80% | 2022 | 82% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 80% | 2019 | 91% | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 80% | 2020 | 83% | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 80% | 2021 | 34% Since the beginning of the pandemic, Aviation Security has taken on new responsibilities and oversight related to the Interim Order Respecting Certain Requirements for Civil Aviation Due to COVID-19. This required a shift from planned, risk-based inspections to stand up entirely new unplanned oversight activities, while ensuring program adaptability as data and medical advice related to COVID-19… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 80% | 2022 | 60% The actual result was below the target due to the amount of effort it took to address COVID-19, which was not part of the original planning exercise. This is expected to normalize as the epidemiology of the pandemic improves. | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 80% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $21.3M | $20M |
| 2019-20 | $19.2M | $21.6M |
| 2020-21 | $21.4M | $23.4M |
| 2021-22 | $22.1M | $23.2M |
| 2022-23 | $23.9M | $25M |
| 2023-24 | $25.1M | $34.3M |
| 2024-25 | $64.5M | $32.7M |
| 2025-26 | $64M | — |
| 2026-27 | $28.2M | — |
| 2027-28 | $27.4M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $23.9M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 189 | 183 |
| 2019-20 | 171 | 189 |
| 2020-21 | 190 | 186 |
| 2021-22 | 189 | 201 |
| 2022-23 | 205 | 205 |
| 2023-24 | 213 | 231 |
| 2024-25 | 241 | 224 |
| 2025-26 | 228 | — |
| 2026-27 | 211 | — |
| 2027-28 | 205* | — |
| 2028-29 | 179* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $21,337,594 | $20,787,232 | $20,787,232 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $19,221,160 | $19,056,271 | $19,158,375 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $21,409,757 | $21,477,197 | $21,673,696 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $22,074,844 | $22,302,279 | $22,306,799 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $23,858,904 | $23,880,916 | $23,834,327 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $25,148,502 | $24,345,691 | $23,668,820 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $64,536,918 | $64,828,834 | $47,162,316 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $63,978,154 | $48,123,165 | $30,558,089 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $28,152,558 | $27,372,585 | $23,855,307 | ||||||||
| Actual | $19,951,766 | $21,567,634 | $23,355,338 | $23,211,002 | $25,008,821 | $34,256,446 | $32,701,836 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
