Canada’s Future Is Airborne—Let’s Build It to Last

As William Lyon Mackenzie King famously said: “If some countries have too much history, we have too much geography.” Canada is vast, with a small population scattered across three coasts. This reality makes aviation not just a convenience but a lifeline for our economy and connectivity. 

Aviation is not a luxury.  It is a necessity. Air transportation will always be a major economic driver for Canada—and we need strong, forward-thinking policies to ensure its long-term viability.

Canada is a global leader in aviation safety, and that must never change.  For this reason, it is entirely proper that the government assume responsibility for setting the bar when it comes to safety standards.  Canada has an enviable record in this regard. But beyond safety—which is non-negotiable—we need to address regulatory inefficiencies that hinder progress and serve to make the Canadian industry increasingly uncompetitive. 

Air Passenger Rights Protection Regulations

As I write this, I am bound for Calgary on a flight from Montreal.  The aircraft I am on arrived earlier today from Delhi, a distance of about 11,200 km. Before embarking on the flight leg we are now on, several things need to happen first:

• This aircraft would have had to land and taxi to a gate that hopefully had no other delayed aircraft at it
• The arriving passengers needed to deplane
• Their baggage and any cargo would have to be unloaded
• The aircraft would need to have been cleaned, catered, and refuelled
• The new crew would have to board
• The departing passengers would need to be enplaned
• Their baggage and any cargo would need to be loaded
• The aircraft needed to be de-iced
• Air traffic control would need to give us clearance to depart, together with a multitude of other flights leaving at generally the same time. 
  
  

The point of sharing this is to illustrate how many complex activities must take place for every single flight on any given day, and to show how few links in this chain of events the airlines have control over.  Yet, despite this, the airlines alone are responsible under current Air Passenger Rights Protection Regulations to pay passengers for delays or cancellations in amounts which are based solely on delay length and the size of the airline, without considering the fare paid.  

If the goal is to compensate passengers for a poor experience, why are airports, NAV Canada, or CATSA not held equally accountable when their actions cause delays or cancellations? 

Under the current rules, flight disruptions resulting from staffing issues are deemed within the carrier’s control and therefore subject to passenger compensation. 

Take the current air traffic control delays at many airports in the country. The main reason given for such delays relates to the shortage of air traffic controllers. And there is a knock-on effect of such a shortage, as hundreds of flights are delayed or cancelled, which in turn creates flight and duty time issues for carriers’ flight crews, which can in turn exacerbate existing pilot shortages. If the carriers are “encouraged” to resolve staff shortages which cause delays by requiring them to pay compensation to their customers, should NAV Canada not be required to do the same? Shared accountability across all stakeholders is essential.

Every player in the air travel chain—airlines, airports, NAV Canada, CATSA, ground service providers—must do their part to deliver seamless, on-time service. If penalties are deemed the best way to drive on-time performance, then the carriers cannot be the only entities required to provide compensation. Or, perhaps it is time to rethink the validity of such a regulatory burden for any of the parties. Regulators must recognize that compliance comes at a cost, and those costs ultimately fall on travellers. Before imposing penalties, the government should ask: Do these rules drive better performance, or do they simply inflate costs and add administrative burden without improving outcomes?

The Workforce Crisis

Beyond regulatory reform, Canada faces another urgent challenge: a severe shortage of skilled aviation professionals. Aircraft maintenance engineers and pilots are in critically short supply, yet students pursuing these careers have no access to financial support—training programs for these careers are excluded from Student Loan programs. 

Industry forecasts warn of significant shortfalls by 2030.  To compound the problem, immigration policies restrict the entry of experienced tradespeople from abroad. If we do not act now, this shortage will threaten the industry’s ability to function. These are not new issues, yet they remain unresolved.

Government Must Join the Team

A healthy, sustainable aviation and aerospace sector requires collaboration. Government must move from commentary to partnership—understanding the industry’s structure and interdependencies before making rules that affect every stakeholder. It is time for the government to join the team, not watch from the sidelines.

How do we achieve this? By overhauling Transport Canada and creating a stand-alone Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace. Its mandate: ensure the long-term sustainability of aviation and aerospace as an essential thread in Canada’s economic fabric. This ministry could lead workforce development, modernize infrastructure, and harmonize regulations—keeping Canada competitive on the global stage.

The Stakes Are High

Between January and July 2025 alone, Canada recorded 3.2 million aircraft movements, transported 5.8 million passengers, and moved over 1.6 million tonnes of cargo. With this level of activity, the opportunities for failure are enormous—yet the industry continues to deliver. Can we do even better? Absolutely. But only if we work together.

Canada’s future is airborne. Let’s ensure the system that carries it is built to last.