Following extensive research, consultation, and careful analysis, ALPA Canada, in conjunction with the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (CATCA), released a White Paper, Charting a Flight Path for the Future of Canadian Aviation, that underscores the aviation sector’s essential role in Canada: enabling resupply and medical services to remote and northern communities, supporting economic activity in major hubs, facilitating leisure travel, and transporting perishable goods to global markets.
Taken together, these functions underscore aviation’s role as critical national infrastructure, fundamental to Canada’s economic resilience, security, and social well-being.
And with the release of that whitepaper, ALPA Canada and the pilots it represents here are calling on federal, provincial and territorial ministers of transport to take decisive action to strengthen — not roll back — critical safety protections for air travel to ensure a safe, well-trained, and well-rested workforce.
Capt. Tim Perry, ALPA Canada President, said that: “In their pursuit of cost-cutting or convenience, air operators often ask for more flexibility in the rules. However, safety is not only a regulatory obligation — it is a strategic asset and a global competitive advantage for Canadian aviation.”
And Capt. Perry continued: “Strong safety performance underpins public confidence, international trust, and market access, and it is the most important factor in ensuring the sector can thrive and remain economically viable and profitable over the long term.”
Canadian aviation, which has long been recognized for its high safety standards, cannot afford weakened safety measures, such as our Flight Time and Duty Time regulations, for cost-cutting purposes. Canada’s poor performance at its latest ICAO audit should function as a reminder that aviation safety should never be taken for granted and that no cost-driven compromises should be tolerated.
Capt. Perry said that: “System reliability and safety must be achieved through deliberate design, which includes consultation with all stakeholders, including ALPA Canada, at the table. A cornerstone of any safety system must include the perspective of those operating within the regulatory framework, which Canadian professional pilots do every single day.”
Go to www.ALPA.org for more.
