CIFFA Writes to Transport Minister Anita Anand

CIFFA wrote to Transport Minister Anita Anand requesting her intervention to create a more effective process around transportation security in Canada with regard to communicating more broadly about security measures directly affecting industry.

Just prior to Labour Day 2024, first the United States and then Canada responded to a credible threat concerning cargo flights, instructing the aviation industry to take new measures to ensure airlines had proof of established relationships with the forwarders and their exporters before the loading of North American destined cargo. Consistent with your department’s interpretation of the Aeronautics Act, it issued direction to the air carriers exclusively. Each carrier was obliged to instruct its customers on the measures, independently.

The result was myriad different instructions from airlines to the forwarders and exporters ranging from some carriers unnecessarily refusing cargo to others indicating no change of normal practices was necessary.  In some cases there were significant financial losses, in other cases a failure to enact the measures the government had ordered.

CIFFA has outlined its request for the government to include more stakeholders in directives affecting the transportation of air cargo. (View full letter)