Good afternoon. I'd like to thank the committee for inviting the Transportation Safety Board of Canada to be present today. I am joined by my colleagues Mélanie Scott, chief operating officer, and James Clarkin, director general of corporate services.
The TSB was created in 1990 by the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act, referred to as the CTAISB Act. Our mandate, and sole purpose, is to advance safety in the air, marine, pipeline and rail modes of transportation under federal jurisdiction. We achieve this by conducting investigations, identifying safety deficiencies and making recommendations to prevent future accidents. We also communicate important safety issues to Canadians through our reports and outreach activities.
The TSB is independent. It operates at arm's length from government departments and agencies, reporting directly to Parliament through the President of the Kings Privy Council for Canada. This independence ensures impartiality and freedom from external influence. We are neither a regulator nor a court, and we do not assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability. We have one clear role: to improve transportation safety. In doing so, we play an essential role in protecting lives and ensuring public safety across Canada's transportation system.
Since its inception in 1990, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, or TSB, has completed more than 2,000 investigations, made more than 630 recommendations, and issued hundreds of safety communications. We learn new lessons from every investigation, which fuels our commitment to improving transportation safety in Canada. Over the years, more than 84% of the responses to the board’s recommendations have been assessed as fully satisfactory, demonstrating the TSB’s concrete impact on the improvement of safety.
While this progress is real, significant risks remain. In October 2025 we released the latest edition of the TSB Watchlist, which highlights seven systemic safety issues that continue to put Canadians at risk. These are not isolated problems. They are long-standing, deeply rooted challenges that have appeared in investigation after investigation, across sectors and across the country. The watch list is both a warning and a road map. It shows where action is urgently needed, where progress has stalled and where sustained leadership from regulators and industry can prevent future tragedies. We will continue to keep these issues in the national spotlight until levels of risk have been measurably reduced.
Meeting these challenges requires the right tools, expertise and infrastructure for the future. This is why we are preparing for the new transportation safety and technology science hub at the National Research Council campus in Ottawa.
This state-of-the-art facility will allow for stronger collaboration, equip us with cutting-edge tools and enhance our ability to conduct rigorous investigations.
Even with this progress, the scale, complexity and public impact of our work continue to grow. In 2025 alone, there were 3,851 occurrences reported to the TSB. Currently, we are managing 86 active investigations nationwide, including the investigation into the highly publicized implosion of the Titan submersible during its descent to the Titanic and the investigation into the overturning of a Bombardier aircraft after it struck the runway while landing at Toronto airport.
We also continue to support hundreds of investigations led by our international counterparts, including the recently released investigation report into a helicopter that struck a passenger aircraft last year in Washington. We also lead investigations into international occurrences, such as the September 2025 incident in St. Martin, in which a WestJet aircraft's right landing gear collapsed on touchdown.
Collectively, these investigations, both domestic and international, reflect the global attention and scrutiny on transportation safety and the increasing technical complexity of our work.
Since the TSB's inception, we have delivered high-quality investigations. However, the risk profile is shifting. Canada’s transportation landscape has changed dramatically since the TSB was established. Public expectation for clear, easily accessible safety information has grown. Technology has advanced at an unprecedented pace, making our investigations more complex, and emerging fields are appearing on our radar more frequently.
With these advancements come new risks, greater potential for accidents, vast amounts of data requiring deeper analysis and responsibilities that didn't exist when the CTAISB Act was introduced. All of this makes our role more critical than ever.
The TSB is lean and efficient, with just 233 employees and a total budget of approximately $40 million. We currently fulfill our mandate effectively, but we operate with very limited flexibility. This means we can remain agile under normal circumstances, but we are operating with a thin margin.
It is essential to have the capacity to keep pace with rapid innovation, emerging risks and the growing expertise required to address them.
The TSB will continue to fulfill its mandate with independence, professionalism and a deep commitment to public safety. We are proud of the work we've accomplished, the trust Canadians place in us and the TSB's standing as a world-recognized organization and respected international partner.
As transportation evolves and new challenges emerge, we must ensure that the TSB remains ready and resilient so we can continue to protect the safety of all Canadians today and into the future.
Thank you.
We are prepared to answer your questions.
