National transportation system

The Canadian Transportation Agency keeps the national transportation system running 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 – and the prosperity and social fabric of the country as a whole.

Broadly speaking, to implement this mandate, we:

• administer regulations and issue determination, including;
  • Maximum Revenue Entitlement (MRE) for the movement of certain western grains by Canada's class 1 railways;
  • Certificates of Fitness, permitting federally-regulated railways to operate;
  • Licenses and other temporary authorities for commercial air operations in Canada;
  • Coasting Trade determinations for the issuance of licenses by the Canada Border Services Agency to foreign marine vessel operators; and
  • Canadian status, financial fitness and issuance level determinations for air licensees.
• help resolve disputes using a range of approaches from relatively informal facilitation and mediation to more formal arbitration and adjudication.
• provide information and guidance about the rights and responsibilities of transportation providers and users, and the Agency's legislation and services.

To learn more, please visit the organization and mandate page.

How we administer regulations

Air transportation

We support the air system by making and enforcing rules for airlines and offering services. We make air regulations and consult the air industry, the Canadian public and consumer organizations about this work.

Rail transportation

We support the rail system by licensing federal railway companies, as well as making and enforcing regulations for railways. Our regulations tell railways what services they must provide to customers (shippers).

Marine transportation

The Canadian Transportation Agency acts as an economic regulator for certain marine activities. The Agency is responsible for determining if Canadian ships are suitable and available to operate commercial services in Canadian waters, which may otherwise be provided by foreign or non duty-paid ships upon request by a resident of Canada.

Acts and regulations

As a federal agency, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) is responsible for administering acts and regulations, and for implementing government-wide regulatory initiatives:

• The CTA is responsible for administering certain federal acts and regulations: View the List of Acts and Regulations.
• The CTA publishes a public list, with descriptions, of planned or anticipated federal regulatory changes that the CTA intends to bring forward over a 24-month period. View the Forward Regulatory Plan.
• The CTA’s Policy on Providing Guidance on Regulatory Requirements:
  • outlines the commitments, practices and tools that the CTA applies when providing Canadians and businesses with information and guidance on regulatory obligations to be met
  • identifies the conditions under which written responses to questions will be provided
• The Administrative Burden Baseline Count and Annual Updates lists the number of administrative burden requirements in regulations administered by the CTA.

Regulatory Modernization Initiative

The CTA completed a Regulatory Modernization Initiative, which included a review of regulations it administers and various guidance material.

How we resolve disputes

Types of disputes we can resolve

• Air travel complaints
• Accessibility complaints
• Rail complaints
• Marine complaints