Centralized Air Screening and CTN Start

Summary#

This Order fixes November 4, 2020 as the day several provisions of the National Security Act, 2017 came into force. Those provisions start changes to how Canada screens air passengers, including the introduction of a traveller identifier called the Canadian Travel Number (CTN).

What it does#

• Brings into force the following sections of the National Security Act, 2017: 127, 130, 132, 133, 136, subsections 137(1), 137(3) and 137(6), and 138 on November 4, 2020.
• Moves passenger screening for the Secure Air Travel Act (SATA) from airlines to the federal government. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will act as the centralized receiver of passenger data and run the IT system to screen names against the SATA list.
• Requires air carriers to provide passenger information (for example, names, dates of birth, gender and any provided CTN) to the government when that information is in the carrier’s control and requested.
• Gives the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness authority to collect information to issue a CTN, and to share information (including with foreign authorities under written arrangements) for identifying listed persons.
• Includes rules about destroying information received from air carriers and removes some previous duties on carriers to do the list screening themselves.
• Starts a phased onboarding process for air carriers to connect to centralized screening, with major carriers prioritized and a plan to have most carriers onboarded by June 2021; carriers will have two years to comply once centralized screening is in place.

Who's affected#

• Travellers who are mistakenly matched to the SATA “no-fly” list. Those people can apply for a CTN to reduce future false matches.
• Air carriers (more than 100) that fly to, from, or within Canada; they must provide passenger data and connect to the centralized screening system in phases.
• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Transport Canada, which will help operate and enforce the centralized screening model.
• The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, who gains authorities to collect information and manage the CTN program.
• Booking and travel industry players who were consulted, including Expedia, Booking.com, the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies, and regional travel councils.
• Advocacy groups such as No Fly List Kids (NFLK), who have been involved in consultations and may follow implementation closely.

If it’s unclear who will notice the change right away: travellers will only get the full benefit of the CTN once their airline has completed onboarding to the new centralized screening system.

Why it matters#

• It aims to reduce travel delays and wrongful denials caused by people who share names or other details with individuals on the SATA list by giving affected travellers a way (the CTN) to distinguish themselves.
• It standardizes screening by placing it with the federal government instead of many individual airlines, which could make the process more consistent across carriers.
• There will be a transition period. Some travellers may still face delays until their airline completes onboarding (phased through June 2021 and beyond). A CTN also won’t prevent delays caused by other countries’ security lists or non-security issues like immigration.
• This Order is an administrative step to match the law with an IT and operational rollout; the government says there are no extra costs beyond investments already planned for the enhanced Passenger Protect Program.