The Canadian Aviation Regulatory Advisory Council (CARAC) held its 12th yearly plenary meeting recently in Ottawa. Several of the items discussed at this meeting will have a serious impact on the membership of the IAMAW working in the aviation sector in Canada and on the safety of the Canadian travelling public.
Transport Canada made it clear that they would continue to implement and expand the use of Safety Management Systems or SMS, regardless of the fate of Bill C-7 (the SMS authorizing legislation), since SMS is already recognized in the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARS). With SMS up and running in all areas of aviation, Transport Canada will replace mandatory rules and inspections with voluntary reporting and self-regulation by the airlines.
This plan, effectively deregulating aviation safety in Canada, makes unions and other concerned groups very uncomfortable. It is a recipe for future disasters. It creates an environment where companies will be responsible for the safety of aircraft without having to worry about oversight by Transport Canada’s inspectors. It creates a conflict of interest atmosphere, allowing companies to take shortcuts in safety. This is especially dangerous in the current high fuel cost environment, where airlines are looking for ways to cut back costs in order to survive. Clearly we should learn from the recent examples south of the border, where Southwest and American Airlines both faced massive fines for failing repeatedly to perform mandatory aircraft inspections.
Another important issue raised at the CARAC plenary, was Transport Canada’s plan to fast-track recognition of foreign licences for aircraft technicians working outside of Canada They would give Canadian AME licenses to foreign technicians based only a requirement to pass the Canadian Air Regulations exam.
This would make it easier for companies to outsource work and to import Aircraft Technicians into Canada instead of providing training and apprenticeship opportunities for young Canadians. This will have an impact on workers in Canadian aircraft manufacturing, repair and overhaul as well as maintenance.
Finally, the harmonization of Canadian and USA rules under Parts III, VI, and VIII of the aviation regulations, will be discussed in CARAC committees. This has been discussed in the past, and we have yet to see where it will end up, or if it is part of the ongoing Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) discussions.
Overall, Transport Canada is busy trying to deregulate and download its regulatory responsibilities, with negative consequences for IAM members and the travelling public.
These issues will be discussed this year in working groups to be set up by Transport Canada. We will be contacting Local Lodges within DL 140 at the appropriate time to get support for attendance at these CARAC working group meetings. In this manner we can coordinate our efforts to ensure that we are united in our message delivered to Transport Canada.
Carlos DaCosta
Airline Coordinator, IAMAW Canada
November 12, 2007
