Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the invitation to speak with the committee today.
I'm Aaron McCrorie. I'm the associate assistant deputy minister for safety and security at Transport Canada.
I can assure you that everybody at Transport Canada is committed to Canadians' safety and well-being. Transport Canada has been heavily involved in the response to the coronavirus situation. We have officials across Canada who are working to respond, as well as to support our partners and stakeholders in both the public and private sectors. In this situation, our primary objective is to protect the health and safety of Canadians, domestically and abroad.
For example, the Government of Canada is working collaboratively with domestic and Chinese-based airlines to raise awareness of the novel coronavirus outbreak that was first identified in Wuhan, China. As already mentioned, enhanced entry screening measures have been implemented at a number of Canadian airports.
On Tuesday, January 28, the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the deputy minister of Transport Canada communicated with air carriers to inform them of measures the Government of Canada was implementing as part of the government's efforts to identify and control the spread of novel coronavirus.
In our communication with the airlines, we reminded them that they play a key role in efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of communicable disease in Canada. We provided them with a script for an in-flight message that should be delivered to passengers when landing in Canada. The message is intended to help passengers understand what to expect upon their arrival in Canada, as enhanced measures are now in place to help identify and control the spread of the novel coronavirus. In short, the message tells travellers that they must provide information about their travel history and about their health to border officials.
We are indeed in a period of heightened monitoring. In accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization's standards and recommended practices, we requested that pilots promptly report to air traffic control any travellers who may have an illness, especially travellers from a high-risk area who are experiencing a fever, coughing or having difficulty breathing.
Just for your awareness, the International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, is a specialized UN agency established to manage the administration, safety and governance of international civil aviation.
I can tell you there are no direct flights from Wuhan to Canada.
Of course, air travel is not the only mode of transportation that arrives in Canada from abroad.
With respect to maritime activity, Transport Canada continues to be aware of all vessels that intend to arrive at a Canadian port, and continues to work with marine safety and security partners—both domestic and international—to ensure that we are maintaining a strong awareness of all vessels.
We have communicated with ports regarding this public health event. On January 29, Transport Canada issued a special marine security notification. This notification was distributed broadly to the Canadian marine community, including, among others, port authorities, the Canadian Association of Port Authorities, company ship officers, regional pilotage authorities, port terminals, and employee associations or unions. Ports have been directed to implement protocols that were created during the SARS outbreak of 2003.
Similar to the message conveyed to airlines for their passengers, the message to vessel owners and operators is to communicate with Transport Canada. If the vessel is from a high-risk area, they will be asked if they have crew members on board who are ill. If there are any, they will be asked if the crew members are exhibiting symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, dry cough, or breathing difficulties.
As per the marine transportation security regulations, all foreign vessels visiting Canada must report to Transport Canada 96 hours prior to arriving in Canadian waters. Communication is paramount as we work to protect Canadians from the dangers of this public health event.
At Transport Canada, we are working to support our key government departments. To this end, we have activated our national emergency coordination centre, a focal point to coordinate our efforts in working with our colleagues in the GOC.
We have a civil aviation contingency plan, which addresses pandemics and communicable disease events. This plan provides a framework and procedures for monitoring and maintaining the safety of the national civil aviation transport system, as well as our support for other departments during a pandemic or communicable disease event.
We are working with our colleagues at Global Affairs Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, Public Safety Canada, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and others. In the federal emergency response plan, which is the Government of Canada's all-hazards response plan that outlines processes for an integrated Government of Canada response to an emergency, Transport Canada is responsible for providing federal transportation support to provinces, territories or other federal government departments and institutions during an emergency.
We will also continue to collaborate with all industry partners and stakeholders. I will reiterate—Canadians' safety and well-being is our top priority at Transport Canada. We are taking this public health emergency very seriously, and we are focused on taking measured and appropriate action based on risk.
Again, Mr. Chair, I thank you for the opportunity to provide this update to this committee, along with my colleagues.
I look forward to any questions you may have.