Departmental Plan 2020-2021
Table of contents
Message From the Chair and Chief Executive Officer
As the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) heads into 2020-21, it has a range of achievements upon which to build.
The review of all regulations made and administered by the CTA through its Regulatory Modernization Initiative (RMI) culminated, in 2019, with the finalization of new or updated Air Passenger Protection Regulations, Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, Air Transportation Regulations, and rail-related regulations. RMI was an ambitious project that was successfully completed under tight timelines, bringing the regulatory framework into line with amendments to the Canada Transportation Act enacted in 2018, the operational realities and emerging business practices of transportation service providers, the needs of transportation service users, and best practices in the regulatory field.
Alongside the RMI, the CTA undertook efforts to raise public and stakeholder awareness of services it offers, pursuant to its statutory responsibilities. These efforts contributed to a dramatic rise in the number of Canadians turning to the CTA for assistance: from approximately 700 complaints per year between 2012 and 2016, to 7,650 in 2018-2019.
In 2020-21, the CTA will focus on steps to fully implement the regulations and respond to the growing demand for its dispute resolution services. These steps include issuing guidance material explaining, in plain language, the new and updated regulatory provisions; refining and rolling out a risk-based compliance assurance program that targets education, audit, and inspection activities to areas where the likelihood and/or impact of potential non-compliance is highest; and continuing to emphasize facilitation and mediation as ways of resolving transportation-related disputes, with more court-like and time-consuming adjudication reserved for relatively complex cases or those that cannot be settled using more informal methods.
In addition, the CTA will round out the regulatory modernization process by developing a second phase of Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, which will extend requirements to smaller carriers and terminals, adjusted as appropriate; determine whether the one-person-one-fare principle should apply to international travel; set some rules around the transportation of emotional support animals, as well as service animals other than dogs; and implement planning and reporting obligations for transportation service providers under the Accessible Canada Act.
Finally, the CTA will modernize its own workplace with a shift towards less traditional, more space-efficient configurations that encourage collaboration and give employees increased flexibility to work in different locations.
The CTA – Canada's longest-standing independent, expert regulator and tribunal – has shown itself to be a model of agility, professionalism, impartiality, and dedication during a period of significant change and dynamism. These qualities will continue to help it deliver the mandates given to it by Parliament – and in so doing, advance the economic and social well-being of Canadians – during the coming fiscal year.
Plans at a glance
The CTA is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator that has, with respect to all matters necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction, all the powers of a superior court. The CTA has three mandates:
- It helps ensure that the national transportation system runs efficiently and smoothly in the interests of all Canadians: those who work and invest in it; the producers, shippers, travellers and businesses who rely on it; and the communities where it operates.
- It protects the human right of persons with disabilities to an accessible transportation network.
- It provides consumer protection for air passengers.
To help advance these mandates, the CTA has three tools at its disposal:
- Rule-making: It develops and applies ground rules that establish the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users and that level the playing field among competitors. These rules can take the form of binding regulations or less formal guidelines, codes of practice or interpretation notes.
- Dispute resolution: It resolves disputes that arise between transportation service providers on the one hand and their clients and neighbours on the other, using a range of tools from facilitation and mediation to arbitration and adjudication.
- Information provision: It provides information on the transportation system, the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users, as well as its legislation and services.
The CTA is guided by its strategic priorities:
- A modern framework: Legislation and regulations that reflect current and emerging business models, travellers' and shippers' needs, and best practices in the adjudicative and regulatory fields.
- Excellence in service delivery: Timely, fair, and effective services in the areas of regulatory determination, dispute resolution, and compliance monitoring and enforcement, based on the letter and purpose of the legislation and regulations, relevant jurisprudence, and the evidence.
- Stakeholder and public awareness: Clear, relevant information for stakeholders and the general public on the national transportation system, the rights and responsibilities of transportation providers and users, and CTA services
- A healthy, high performing organization: Independent ۰ Expert ۰ Impartial ۰ Engaged ۰ Agile ۰ Innovative
For more information on the Canadian Transportation Agency’s (CTA) plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Planned results and resources” section of this report.
Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks
This section contains detailed information on the department’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.
Independent regulatory and dispute-resolution services for transportation providers and users
Description
Set and enforce economic, accessibility, and air passenger protection rules for the national transportation system; resolve disputes between transportation service providers and users through facilitation, mediation, arbitration, and adjudication; and provide information to stakeholders and Canadians in general on the transportation system and their transportation-related rights and responsibilities.
Planning highlights
The CTA will undertake the following activities to support its planned results:
- Building on the CTA's Regulatory Modernization Initiative (RMI), continue the modernization process for regulations the CTA administers, by:
- Developing Phase 2 of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR) to establish accessibility requirements for small transportation service providers, address outstanding issues (e.g. whether to establish requirements related to the one person, one fare policy for international travel, and the transportation of emotional support animals) and implement planning and reporting obligations under the Accessible Canada Act;
- Developing amendments to the Regulated Interswitching Regulations pursuant to the CTA's 2019 consultations and determination on the interswitching rate methodology.
- Implement all of the following regulations brought forward under the RMI:
- The ATPDR (Phase I), which establish comprehensive, legally binding and enforceable accessibility requirements for large transportation service providers. The ATPDR will come into force in June 2020;
- The Air Transportation Regulations, which simplify and clarify obligations and processes - including with regard to charters and licensing - and modernize insurance requirements for airlines. Most provisions of these regulations took effect in July 2019, with insurance requirements being phased in by July 2021;
- The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), which establish airlines' minimum obligations to passengers, including compensation levels and standards of treatment in certain circumstances. APPR provisions on communication, baggage, tarmac delays, denied boarding and the transportation of musical instruments took effect on July 15, 2019, while provisions on flight delays and cancellations, and seating of children took effect on December 15, 2019;
- Amendments to rail-related regulations, which took effect in July 2019 and ensure rail related requirements are clear, up to date and enforceable.
- Implement new accessible transportation responsibilities under the Accessible Canada Act, including the authority to pursue "own motion" investigations, award compensation for pain and suffering, and support persons with disabilities' participation in hearings. The CTA will also continue efforts to coordinate with other implementation agencies to provide a "no wrong door" experience for complainants.
- Continue to work with partners in other federal organizations to increase the emphasis placed on accessible air transportation in the deliberations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). As well, the CTA will continue to support and facilitate multi-stakeholder efforts to improve the carriage and storage of large and/or complex mobility aids in aircraft.
- Provide timely and responsive front-line dispute resolution services, including facilitation and mediation as well as adjudication. The current volume of complaints is historically unprecedented. The CTA will continue to emphasize informal dispute resolution approaches in an effort to provide timely services and minimize backlogs.
- Implement the CTA's greatly expanded mandate in the area of compliance and enforcement in respect of over 1,500 transportation service providers across the country. This mandate flows from new legislative and regulatory requirements that have been put in place in recent years. As part of this work, the CTA will continue to refine and implement a data-driven, risk-based approach to targeting compliance monitoring and enforcement activities.
- Continue efforts to inform stakeholders and the public about their transportation-related rights and responsibilities and CTA services available to them, including through its rail and accessibility help lines.
- Develop guidance material to assist travellers, shippers, and transportation service providers to understand their rights and obligations under new regulations. The CTA will also work to provide updated, simplified guidance respecting the current legislative and regulatory provisions and jurisprudence.
Gender-based analysis plus - General information
Governance structures
The CTA's Executive Committee has included GBA+ in the mandatory training curriculum for all staff to ensure the CTA continues to advance gender equality and build policies, programs and services that work for everyone.
Human resources
Not applicable.
- Given that it is a small organization of less than 300 people, the CTA currently has no resources solely dedicated to GBA+.
- However, GBA+ is prioritized and where required, internal resources are assigned to conduct GBA+ analyses, mostly in the context of Workforce and Workplace Services, Treasury Board Submissions and Memorandums to Cabinet.
Planned initiatives
- The CTA is in the process of developing a GBA+ implementation plan.
- In 2020-21, GBA+ will also continue to be applied and monitored in the context of Treasury Board Submissions.
Reporting capacity and data
Data related to Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will continue to be collected and tracked.
United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Name of department
Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA)
Date
April 2020
Context
Although the CTA is not bound by the Federal Sustainable Development Act and is not required to develop a full departmental sustainable development strategy, the CTA adheres to the principles of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) by complying with the Policy on Green Procurement.
The Policy on Green Procurement supports the Government of Canada’s effort to promote environmental stewardship. In keeping with the objectives of the policy, the CTA supports sustainable development by integrating environmental performance considerations into the procurement decision making process through the actions described in the 2019 to 2022 FSDS “Greening Government” goal.
Commitments
FSDS Target 7.2: green procurement
The CTA will continue to take action to embed environmental considerations into public procurement, in accordance with the federal Policy on Green Procurement.
Integrating sustainable development
The CTA will continue to ensure that its decision-making process includes consideration of FSDS goals and targets through its Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. A SEA for policy, plan or program proposals includes an analysis of the impacts of the given proposal on the environment, including on FSDS goals and targets.
The results of the CTA’s assessments are made public when an initiative that has undergone a detailed SEA is announced on the CTA's web site. The purpose of the public statement is to demonstrate that the environmental effects, including the impacts on achieving the FSDS goals and targets, of the approved policy, plan or program have been considered during proposal development and decision-making.
| FSDS target | FSDS contributing actions | Corresponding departmental action(s) | Contribution by each departmental action to the FSDS goal and target | Starting point(s), target(s) and performance indicator(s) for departmental actions | Link to the department’s Program Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actions supporting the Greening Government goal and the Policy on Green Procurement | Support for green procurement will be strengthened, including guidance, tools and training for public service employees | Ensure green procurement practices are planned and implemented | CTA approach to further the implementation of the Policy on Green Procurement is in place |
|
All Programs |
| Actions supporting the Greening Government goal and the Policy on Green Procurement | Departments will use environmental criteria to reduce the environmental impact and ensure best value in government procurement decisions | - | Limit available paper type to recycled paper only at the CTA | Type of paper used by the CTA [100% recycled paper] | Internal Services |
| Actions supporting the Greening Government goal and the Policy on Green Procurement | Departments will use environmental criteria to reduce the environmental impact and ensure best value in government procurement decisions | - | Continue to encourage the use of e-documents in lieu of paper documents where possible | Number and percentage of staff that have access to the Greening Government Strategy [100%] | All Programs |
Experimentation
The CTA will continue to experiment with innovative approaches to the way it connects with Canadians and conducts its activities, for example:
- Public Engagement and Consultation: The CTA engages and consults with Canadians using a variety of innovative approaches, such as online questionnaires, written submissions, face-to-face consultation sessions across the country, and videoconference consultation for those unable to attend in-person sessions. Through these activities, the CTA gains a greater understanding of the perspectives of a wide range of citizens, stakeholders and experts and is better positioned to develop more informed and effective policies and programs.
- Videoconference Hearings: Oral hearings can be helpful when, for example, a file is particularly complex, or where the public interest in a case is especially high. The CTA considers videoconference options, for all or part of the hearing, in appropriate circumstances.
- Compliance and Enforcement: The CTA engages in numerous innovative approaches and is developing tools in support of its compliance monitoring and enforcement modernization program (e.g., pattern and trend analysis, risk assessment tool, data analytics), to maximize proactive compliance by regulated entities. These reflect lessons learned and shifts in approach within the CTA, and the evolution of best practices more generally in the regulatory field, including through technological advances.
| Risks | Risk Response Strategy | Links to Department's Programs | Link to Departmental Priorities |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Over-extended resources as a result of increases in CTA mandates and workload Description: Insufficient resources to maintain core business functions with ongoing operational pressures while absorbing new mandates resulting from legislative amendments, increasing demand from users, and government-wide transformation initiatives |
The CTA:
The CTA will know this risk mitigation strategy was effective if it is successful in delivering its core services to Canadians while completing 2020-21 within its allocated budget |
Industry Regulation Facilitation, Adjudication and Alternative Dispute Resolution Internal Services |
A Modern Framework Excellence in Service Delivery Stakeholder and Public Awareness A Healthy, High-Performing Organization |
|
Insufficient public and stakeholder awareness Description: Transportation service providers, travellers and shippers are sometimes insufficiently aware of their rights and responsibilities, and the services available to them through the CTA |
The CTA:
One indicator for FY 2020-21 to measure awareness of rights and responsibilities is the number of applications, complaints, and inquiries to the CTA in 2020-21 being comparable to or higher than the average number for the previous three fiscal years. This will be reassessed in subsequent years as the APPR regime becomes more established. Complementary indicators are the percentage of transportation service providers that comply with legislative and regulatory requirements; Percentage of air, rail, marine carriers and facility operators complying with accessibility related legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice; and Percentage of air carriers complying with consumer protection legislative and regulatory requirements. |
Industry Regulation Adjudication and Alternative Dispute Resolution |
Excellence in Service Delivery Stakeholder and Public Awareness |
|
Out-of-date guidance material Description: The suite of proponent guidance material published by the CTA requires updates to help transportation providers and users understand their rights and legal responsibilities, as well as the CTA's legislation, regulations and services |
The CTA continues to review all its guidance material, update this material as necessary, and draft new material to fill any gaps that are identified. |
Industry Regulation Adjudication and Alternative Dispute Resolution Internal Services |
Excellence in Service Delivery Stakeholder and Public Awareness |
| Departmental result | Departmental result indicator | Target | Date to achieve target | 2016–17 actual result | 2017–18 actual result | 2018–19 actual result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| An efficient, competitive national transportation system | Transportation Fluidity Index | Obtain baseline information (2021) | TBD | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| An efficient, competitive national transportation system | Percentage of regulatory authorities issued, and disputes and contested determination cases resolved within service standards | 85% | March 2021 | 92% | 90% | 90% |
| An efficient, competitive national transportation system | Percentage of transportation service providers that comply with legislative and regulatory requirements | 80% | March 2021 | Not available | Not available | 61% |
| Accessible transportation services for persons with disabilities | Percentage of air, rail, marine carriers and facility operators complying with accessibility related legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice | 80% | March 2021 | Not available | Not available | 74% |
| Accessible transportation services for persons with disabilities | Percentage of accessibility disputes resolved within service standards | 80% | March 2021 | 89% | 62% | 79% |
| Consumer protection for air travellers | Percentage of air carriers complying with consumer protection legislative and regulatory requirements | Obtain baseline information (2020) | TBD | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| Consumer protection for air travellers | Percentage of air consumer protection disputes resolved within service standards | 85% | March 2021 | Not available | Not available | 29% |
In this report, any reference to “obtain baseline information” in the target column refers to performance indicators that are being developed for future implementation. Results collected in 2019–20 will be used to establish performance targets for future years.
Financial, human resources and performance information for the CTA’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
| 2020–21 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2020–21 planned spending | 2021–22 planned spending | 2022–23 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24,646,232 | 24,646,232 | 21,801,237 | 21,130,361 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for the CTA’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
| 2020–21 planned full-time equivalents | 2021–22 planned full-time equivalents | 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 205 | 192 | 187 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for the CTA’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
Planned results for Internal Services
Description
Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of Programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct services that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. These services are:
- Management and Oversight Services
- Communications Services
- Legal Services
- Human Resources Management Services
- Financial Management Services
- Information Management Services
- Information Technology Services
- Real Property Management Services
- Materiel Management Services
- Acquisition Management Services
| 2020–21 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2020–21 planned spending | 2021–22 planned spending | 2022–23 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7,548,758 | 10,756,686 | 9,515,006 | 9,222,207 |
Planned human resources for Internal Services
| 2020–21 planned full-time equivalents | 2021–22 planned full-time equivalents | 2022–23 planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 57 | 53 | 52 |
Spending and human resources
This section provides an overview of the department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three consecutive fiscal years, and compares planned spending for the upcoming year with the current and previous years’ actual spending.
Planned spending
Details
| Fiscal year | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory | 3,160 | 3,459 | 3,530 | 3,532 | 3,518 | 3,413 |
| Voted | 25,988 | 29,685 | 32,875 | 31,870 | 27,798 | 26,939 |
| Total | 29,148 | 33,144 | 36,405 | 35,403 | 31,316 | 30,353 |
For fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19, the amounts shown represent the actual expenditures as reported in the Public Accounts.
For fiscal year 2019-20, the forecast spending represents the planned budgetary and statutory expenditures as presented in the Estimates documents (Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates) as well as amounts approved by the Treasury Board as at December 16, 2019. In comparison to the actual expenditures in the previous year, there is an increase of approximately $3.3 million. This increase is primarily attributable to the new temporary funding received ($446 thousand) as part of the Accessible Canada Initiative, following the coming-into-force of the Accessible Canada Act on June 21, 2019; the temporary funding approved ($3.6 million) in response to the increasing air passenger complaint volumes, as announced in the 2019 Economic and Fiscal Update; and the estimated funding to be used in 2019-20 for the costs related to the Government of Canada Workplace 2.0 Fit-up Standards project ($314 thousand). This increase of $4.3 million is offset by the gradual decrease in funding received to support the CTA Modernization Initiative ($727 thousand), as announced in Budget 2018, the gradual decrease in funding received to implement legislative and regulatory changed related to Canada's freight rail system ($109 thousand), as announced in the 2017 Fall Economic Statement, and a reduction in the operating budget carry forward ($381 thousand).
For fiscal year 2020-21, the planned spending reflects a decrease of approximately $1 million in comparison to the previous year's forecast spending. This decrease is primarily attributable to the sunsetting funds received in 2019-20 ($3.6 million) in response to the increasing air passenger complaint volumes, as announced in the 2019 Economic and Fiscal Update. The planned spending also reflects the gradual decrease in funding received to support the CTA Modernization Initiative ($489 thousand), as announced in Budget 2018, and the gradual decrease in funding received to implement legislative and regulatory changes related to Canada's freight rail system ($45 thousand), as announced in the 2017 Fall Economic Statement. The decrease of $4.1 million is offset by the anticipated reprofile of $3.2 million from 2019-20 to 2020-21 to pay for the costs related to the Government of Canada Workplace 2.0 Fit-up Standards project as well as an increase to the funding received as part of the Accessible Canada Initiative ($382 thousand), following the coming-into-force of the Accessible Canada Act on June 21, 2019. The planned spending does not include the reimbursement of eligible paylist expenditures and the operating budget carry-forward since these cannot be estimated with certainty.
For the period 2021-22 to 2022-23, the planned spending reflects approved funding by the Treasury Board to support the CTA's strategic outcomes and programs. These planned expenditures are lower than in previous years due to the reduction of $3.2 million in available authorities that were used in 2020-21 to pay for the costs related to the Government of Canada Workplace 2.0 Fit-up Standards project; the sunsetting funds to support the CTA Modernization Initiative ($1.2 million in 2021-22), as announced in Budget 2018; and the sunsetting funds received as part of the Accessible Canada initiative ($1.1 million in 2022-23). The planned expenditures do not include the reimbursement of eligible paylist expenditures and the operating budget carry-forward since these cannot be estimated with certainty.
The following table shows actual, forecast and planned spending for each of the CTA’s core responsibilities and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.
| Core responsibilities and Internal Services | 2017–18 expenditures | 2018–19 expenditures | 2019–20 forecast spending | 2020–21 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2020–21 planned spending | 2021–22 planned spending | 2022–23 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent regulatory and dispute-resolution services for transportation providers and users | 21,161,225 | 23,846,783 | 26,786,994 | 24,646,232 | 24,646,232 | 21,801,237 | 21,130,361 |
| Internal Services | 7,986,592 | 9,297,407 | 9,618,011 | 7,548,758 | 10,756,686 | 9,515,006 | 9,222,207 |
| Total | 29,147,817 | 33,144,190 | 36,405,005 | 32,194,990 | 35,402,918 | 31,316,243 | 30,352,568 |
The increase in the 2020-21 planned spending in comparison to the 2020-21 budgetary spending relates to the anticipated reprofile of $3.2 million to pay for the costs related to the Government of Canada Workplace 2.0 Fit-up Standards project. Prior to the end of the 2019-20 fiscal year, this amount is expected to be reprofiled to 2020-21.
Planned human resources
The following table shows actual, forecast and planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) for each core responsibility in CTA’s departmental results framework and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.
| Core responsibilities and Internal Services | 2017–18 actual full time equivalents | 2018–19 actual full time equivalents | 2019–20 forecast full time equivalents | 2020–21 planned full time equivalents | 2021–22 planned full time equivalents | 2022–23 planned full time equivalents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent regulatory and dispute-resolution services for transportation providers and users | 171 | 198 | 222 | 205 | 192 | 187 |
| Internal Services | 55 | 60 | 62 | 57 | 53 | 52 |
| Total | 226 | 258 | 284 | 262 | 245 | 239 |
The planned full-time equivalents are expected to decrease over the next couple of years, in correspondence with the sunsetting funds to support the CTA Modernization Initiative ($1.2 million in 2021-22), as announced in Budget 2018, and the Accessible Canada Initiative ($1.1 million 2022-23).
Estimates by vote
Information on the CTA’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2020–21 Main Estimates.
Condensed future-oriented statement of operations
The condensed future oriented statement of operations provides an overview of the CTA’s operations for 2019–20 to 2020–21.
The amounts for forecast and planned results in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The amounts for forecast and planned spending presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.
A more detailed future oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on the CTA’s website.
| Financial information | 2019–20 forecast results | 2020–21 planned results | Difference (2020–21 planned results minus 2019–20 forecast results) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses | 42,125,295 | 36,413,993 | (5,711,302) |
For fiscal year 2020-21, the planned results reflect a decrease of approximately $5.7 million in comparison to the 2019-20 forecast results. This decrease is primarily attributable to the sunsetting funds received in 2019-20 ($3.6 million) in response to the increasing air passenger complaint volumes, as announced in the 2019 Economic and Fiscal Update. The planned results also reflect the gradual decrease in funding received to support the CTA Modernization Initiative ($489 thousand), as announced in Budget 2018, and the gradual decrease in funding received to implement legislative and regulatory changes related to Canada's freight rail system ($45 thousand), as announced in the 2017 Fall Economic Statement. In addition to this, the 2019-20 forecast results include the 2018-19 operating budget carry-forward ($631 thousand) and include an anticipated increase in salary related accruals ($789 thousand). This decrease is partially offset by an increase in funding received as part of the Accessible Canada Initiative ($382 thousand), following the coming into force of the Accessible Canada Act on June 21, 2019. The 2020-21 planned results do not include the reimbursement of eligible paylist expenditures and the 2019-20 operating budget carry-forward, if any, since these cannot be estimated with certainty.
Corporate information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister[s]: The Honourable Marc Garneau, P.C, M.P., Minister of Transport
Institutional head: Scott Streiner, Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Ministerial portfolio: Transport
Enabling instrument[s]: Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, c. 10, as amended
Year of incorporation / commencement: 1904
Other:
The CTA shares responsibility for the following Acts:
- Accessible Canada Act, 2019
- Canada Marine Act
- Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012
- Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act
- Coasting Trade Act
- Energy Supplies Emergency Act
- Pilotage Act
- Railway Relocation and Crossing Act
- Railway Safety Act
- Shipping Conferences Exemption Act, 1987
The CTA has sole responsibility for the following regulations:
- Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (SOR/2019-244)
- Air Passenger Protection Regulations (SOR/2019-150)
- Air Transportation Regulations (SOR/88-58)
- Canadian Transportation Agency Designated Provisions Regulations (SOR/99-244)
- Regulations on Operational Terms for Rail Level of Services Arbitration (SOR/2014-192)
- Personnel Training for the Assistance of Persons with Disabilities Regulations (SOR/94-42)
- Railway Costing Regulations (SOR/80-310)
- Railway Interswitching Regulations (SOR/88-41)
- Railway Third Party Liability Insurance Coverage Regulations (SOR/96-337)
- Railway Traffic and Passenger Tariffs Regulations (SOR/96-338)
- Railway Traffic Liability Regulations (SOR/91-488)
The CTA shares responsibility for the following regulations:
- Transportation Information Regulations (SOR/96-334)
- Railway Company Pay Out of Excess Revenue for the Movement of Grain Regulations (SOR/2001-207)
- The Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc. Regulations (SOR/98-568)
- The Seaway International Bridge Corporation, Ltd. Regulations (SOR/98-569)
The CTA has promulgated the following Rules:
- Canadian Transportation Agency Rules (Dispute Proceedings and Certain Rules Applicable to All Proceedings) (SOR/2014-104)
- Rules of Procedure for Rail Level of Service Arbitration (SOR/2014-94)
These Acts and Regulations are available on the Department of Justice website, and are accessible through the "Acts and Regulations " section of the CTA website.
Raison d’être, mandate and role
“Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on the CTA’s website.
Operating context
Information on the operating context is available on the CTA’s website.
Reporting framework
The CTA approved Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory for 2020–21 are as follows.
Details
Graphical presentation of Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory
Core Responsibility : Independent regulatory and dispute-resolution services for transportation providers and users
Departmental Results Framework
Results and indicators
Result 1: An efficient, competitive national transportation system
Indicators
1A Transportation Fluidity Index
1B Percentage of regulatory authorities issued, and disputes and contested determination cases resolved within service standards
1C Percentage of transportation service providers that comply with legislative and regulatory requirements
Result 2: Accessible transportation services for persons with disabilities
Indicators
2A Percentage of air, rail, marine carriers and facility operators complying with accessibility-related legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice
2B Percentage of accessibility disputes resolved within service standards
Result 3: Consumer protection for air travellers
Indicators
3A Percentage of air carriers complying with consumer protection legislative and regulatory requirements
3B Percentage of air consumer protection disputes resolved within service standards
Program Inventory
- Analysis and Outreach
- Dispute Resolution
- Determinations and Compliance
Internal Services
Supporting information on the Program Inventory
Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to the CTA’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on the CTA's website:
Federal tax expenditures
CTA’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures that relate to its planned results for 2020–21.
Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance, and the Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government¬ wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis. The tax measures presented in this report are solely the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.
Organizational contact information
Mailing address
Canadian Transportation Agency
60 Laval Street, Unit 01
Gatineau, QC
J8X 3G9
Tel.: 1-888-222-2592
Fax.: 819-997-6727
TTY: 1-800-669-5575
Email : info@otc-cta.gc.ca
Appendix: definitions
- appropriation (crédit))
- Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
- budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
- Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
- core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
- An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
- Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
- A report on the plans and expected performance of a department over a 3 year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.
- departmental priority (priorité ministérielle)
- A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Departmental priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.
- departmental result (résultat ministériel)
- A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
- departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
- A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.
- departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
- A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.
- Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
- A report on a department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
- experimentation (expérimentation)
- The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare, the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works and what doesn’t. Experimentation is related to, but distinct form innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.
- full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
- A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. Full time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.
- gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])
- An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.
- government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
- For the purpose of the 2020–21 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2015 Speech from the Throne, namely: Growth for the Middle Class; Open and Transparent Government; A Clean Environment and a Strong Economy; Diversity is Canada's Strength; and Security and Opportunity.
- horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
- An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
- non budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
- Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.
- performance (rendement)
- What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
- performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
- A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.
- performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)
- The process of communicating evidence based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision-making, accountability and transparency.
- plan (plan)
- The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.
- planned spending (dépenses prévues)
- For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates.
- A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
- program (programme)
- Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
- program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
- Identifies all of the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.
- result (résultat)
- An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.
- statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
- Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
- strategic outcome (résultat stratégique)
- A long-term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization’s mandate, vision and core functions.
- target (cible)
- A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
- voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
- Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.
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