As per the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Policy on Results, Crown corporations are expected to comply with the requirement to identify Core Responsibilities in order to support the publication of the Main Estimates and the Public Accounts. CATSA has one Core Responsibility.
Security screening at designated airports
CATSA is mandated to deliver effective, efficient and consistent screening at designated airports. CATSA fulfils this responsibility by way of its mandated activities.
CATSA respectfully acknowledges that it conducts its security screening operations on the unceded territory of a number of Indigenous Peoples all over the country. CATSA’s headquarters is located on unceded traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg Algonquin Nation.
Mandated Activities
CATSA delivers the mandate of security screening at 89 designated airports across the country through a third-party screening contractor model. Playing a key role in Canada’s civil aviation system, CATSA is responsible for the delivery of the following four mandated activities:
Pre-board screening (PBS)
The screening of passengers, their carry-on baggage and their belongings prior to their entry to the secure area of an air terminal building.
Hold baggage screening (HBS)
The screening of passengers’ checked ("hold") baggage for prohibited items such as explosives, prior to being loaded onto an aircraft.
Non-passenger screening (NPS)
The random screening of non-passengers such as flight personnel, ground crew and service providers, and their belongings (including vehicles and their contents) entering restricted areas at the highest-risk airports.
Restricted area identity card (RAIC)
The management of the system that uses iris and fingerprint biometric identifiers to allow authorized non-passengers access to the restricted areas of airports. The final authority that determines access to the restricted areas of an airport is the airport authority.
Cost Recovery and Other Designated Airports
The Transportation Modernization Act introduced authorities allowing CATSA to provide supplemental screening services to both designated and non-designated airports, subject to Transport Canada approval, so long as the provision of these services remains cost neutral. Based on this authority, CATSA has previously provided additional screening services to airports through supplemental screening agreements and will continue to work with interested stakeholders.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, no such services were provided from April 1, 2020, until June 24, 2022, when CATSA resumed screening services at the Muskoka Airport. The services were in place for the summer travel season until September 6, 2022.
Cargo
CATSA has an agreement with Transport Canada to screen cargo at small airports where capacity exists. This program was designed to screen limited amounts of cargo during off-peak periods and involves using existing resources, technology and personnel.