Transport Committee on June 16th, 2022

[Craig Hutton]

No, the minister does not have authorities to.... I know he's in a position to direct operators. Again, we sort of set the regulatory framework broadly. It is up to partners in the system—airports, carriers, agencies—to conduct the work that's needed to manage staffing levels and operational changes in the way they see fit to address the services they're providing.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Would it be fair to say that there are a very large number of factors that would explain why we have been seeing delays at airports?

[Craig Hutton]

Right. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, there has been a confluence of factors. Of course, as we're noting, the labour shortage across the sector has been a significant challenge for airports and air service operators, and I think that is something that is staying with us.

Despite those challenges, we are working hard to figure out how to best address the shortages, but we also see other challenges in the system, such as a greater concentration of flights at certain times of the day, and delays in parts of the system, including overseas, which have an impact here in Canada. We see customs pre-clearance. We see different passenger patterns, such as more carry-on luggage. We also see weather conspiring against us at exactly the wrong times as well, as it will do.

All of these things create this situation where there's a knock-on effect, and we need to make sure we understand what is driving the issues at a given moment in time. That allows us to tackle those issues head-on. I think having this collaborative forum through which we're working together is helping us to do exactly that.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Given all these various issues that are cumulative and are causing these delays, does this present a communication challenge in terms of trying to explain to the public how we're addressing delays? I mean, the general public has this feeling that it's the federal policies or mandates in place that are causing these delays. How much of that is giving us a challenge in communicating the correct message?

[Craig Hutton]

It is challenging, because there are many factors at play. Of course, there are factors at play in arriving at the airport and being ready to be screened and getting through screening in time for your flight. There are also factors in terms of aircraft arriving and the process by which, particularly internationally, you're coming back into Canada.

Exactly on this challenge, the communications aspect of what we're working together on is something we've been addressing to get better communications amongst partners. That way, when we're communicating about what travellers can expect in terms of managing delays and how they'll get through screening or other border measures, it's clear, it's consistent, it's in time and it's messaged by all partners in the system. No matter where that traveller might be, the information's available to them to make the choices they need to make in order to have more efficient travel through the system.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Chair, do I have time for a short question to the CBSA?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

You have 35 seconds left, Ms. Koutrakis.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Okay. Let me see if I can get this done.

To the CBSA, can you comment on the issue of staffing shortages at U.S. Customs and Border Protection? What have you observed? How is this affecting airport operations?

[Denis Vinette]

Regretfully, I can't speak on behalf of U.S. customs and their current personnel. They work with our public safety portfolio or lead agency in terms of providing some of the pre-clearance capacity.

On the CBSA side, I will say that we are all hands on deck. We plan for summer volumes. We are increasing our own staffing, at least for arrivals into Canada, through both additional officer availability and the student border services officers who work for us in airports each summer.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you very much, Ms. Koutrakis and Mr. Vinette.

Mr. Barsalou‑Duval, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'll start by saying that I was surprised to hear the parliamentary secretary's remarks. She said that the minister had no responsibility and that he could do nothing about the delays. That's a bit like saying that the minister is useless. I find that a surprising way of looking at it.

My question is for the people from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, or CATSA.

If you were contacted by the minister's office, would it have had an impact on your activities or would it be routine?

[Neil Parry]

Thank you for your question.

As to whether we receive directives from the minister's office, yes, the minister has the authority to direct a Crown corporation in line with the regulatory framework.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Okay. Thank you very much.

You said earlier that you adjusted the number of employees working in your offices based on the volume of passengers arriving.

If, theoretically, the adjustment is made as you go along, why are there now bottlenecks?

[Neil Parry]

If I understand the question, yes, that's correct. We adjust the capacity to service passengers based on the forecasted volume of passengers and the arrival patterns.

As I mentioned, there's been a lot of volatility in what actually materializes at an airport versus what is forecasted. There are pressures throughout the system that disrupt those passenger arrival patterns. It means that sometimes we have staff when the passengers aren't there. Sometimes there are not enough staff because a schedule has changed, or an aircraft has arrived late or was held, or the connections traffic is off. All of those things affect screening. Our objective, though, is to have as many screening officers available as we can, and to have as many lines open to serve the public.

The factors that have also affected that have been the attrition rates within not just our organization but the industry. The labour market has been a significant challenge in terms of getting people onboarded. There are other factors at play, such as volatile passenger traffic. Again, that's through no fault of the industry's. I think they're scrambling to recover as well. There are also processing challenges. We're seeing a lot more passengers show up with carry-on bags, and it takes longer to process.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

I have another question for you.

You said earlier that you estimated the wait time at the moment to be 15 minutes on average. From what I understand, you estimate it from the first scan, so when people scan their passport at the kiosk, until they meet an agent.

I wonder if this data underestimates the actual wait time. In my own recent experience, when I came back from abroad, the airport was so crowded with passengers getting off planes that just getting to the first scan was a feat. So there's also a queue before you get there.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to measure the data from the time of deplaning of the aircraft?

[Neil Parry]

First, I will just clarify. I didn't say that passengers wait only 15 minutes or less. What I said was that the government-funded target service level on average is that 85% of passengers on an annualized basis will wait 15 minutes or less. We have met or exceeded that target for over six straight years.

In terms of the measurement, you're correct, the measurement should be taken at the end of the queue, the end of the line, so that you have an accurate measurement. We have, through the month of May, been working with some of our stakeholders on this to alert us. We have significant numbers of brand new screening officers whom we need to remind, in taking the measurement, that you don't stand in one spot. You have to move to the end of the queue. There is a compliance factor there.

We do oversight on compliance. That compliance is related to the performance pay that our screening contractors receive, so they have an incentive to measure correctly. We take action when there is inaccurate measuring, and it does occur, but overall the compliance rates are above 90%.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

I'd like to know if you feel that the situation will soon return to normal or if, on the contrary, wait times will increase in the next few weeks.

Should the wait time increase, approximately how long will it take before everything returns to normal?

[Neil Parry]

I believe that, over the last couple of weeks, we have returned more to normal. The trend is positive. Wait times are coming down. We are hitting the service level targets where we are continuing to focus our wait times at peak. Everything is about the peak period. That's what's most important to our stakeholder partners. Those wait times have come down.

The summer is a busy period. There will be wait times. There have always been wait times in the summer, but we want to see those continue to trend down to normalized levels, and our staffing capacity has been increasing, particularly at the top four airports, where we've met most of our targets. We're continuing to onboard new people.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

I have a question for Mr. Vinette.

Mr. Vinette, you must have been affected as well by increased wait times and volumes at the borders.

Has this had the effect of putting pressure on the Canada Border Services Agency to process traffic more quickly, and in that sense, has this affected the level of verification or security?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Unfortunately, we won't have time to hear the answer. Perhaps you can answer it in the next round.

Thank you, Mr. Barsalou‑Duval.

Next we have Mr. Bachrach.

Mr. Bachrach, the floor is yours. You have six minutes.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you to all of our witnesses for being here today with us to answer our questions.

I want to take a moment off the top to acknowledge the work of screening officers and frontline airport workers all across the country, who are really bearing the brunt of the chaos at our airports and working under some exceptionally difficult conditions.

We've been told several times by the government that this is an international phenomenon, so it might be instructive to look at what other airports are doing.

I noted that Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands negotiated an agreement with airport workers that includes a raise over the busy summer months that's equivalent to Canadian $7.14 per hour. By contrast, in Canada we have CATSA creating something called the summer attendance incentive program, which pays $200 a week bonus to employees who don't take their holidays.

Here's the most alarming part. I have a memo here written by one of your contractors that describes the program to its workers. This memo states that workers who take time off because they are sick won't qualify for the bonus. This is essentially creating a financial incentive for employees to go to work sick during a pandemic. Does CATSA think that's appropriate?

[Neil Parry]

I disagree with how you've characterized what the incentive is intended to do.

A screening officer who is sick or takes their scheduled vacation is not disqualified from the program.

I'll back up just one step, to your reference to Schiphol.

CATSA is not the employer of the screening contractors. The service is delivered through a third-party contractor.

The process for negotiating compensation is the collective bargaining process. Many of the airports in Canada have concluded agreements already, and there are a few places—Vancouver is one, and Ottawa is another—where the collective bargaining process is under way.

The attendance incentive was put in place because across the country there can be significant instances of absenteeism whereby people don't show up for their shift. The program is administered by the screening contractors. CATSA is making the funds that it underspent in April and May due to the capacity shortage available to incent people to show up for their scheduled shift. If somebody is sick and provides documentation to their employer, my understanding from the employers is that they would continue to be eligible over the 12-week period if they continue to show up for their scheduled shifts.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Parry, if I may interrupt, my interpretation is that it costs them 200 bucks if they take a sick day. I have a memo here by Allied Universal, one of your contractors. It has a Q and A on the third page, which says that if an employee misses their scheduled shift because they are sick, even if they provide a medical note, they are not eligible for the bonus that week.

[Neil Parry]

It's “that week”. That is correct.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

There's a $200 bonus on the table for that week, and if they get sick and need to take time off work because they're sick, they forgo that bonus. That's a financial incentive to go to work with a runny nose, a sore throat and COVID, possibly.