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ARCHIVED - RPP 2006-2007
Canadian Transportation Agency


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Section II – Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

2.1 Analysis by Program Activity

The Canadian Transportation Agency's program activity architecture is simple. The Agency pursues one strategic outcome:

A fair and transparent economic regulatory regime that helps achieve a viable and accessible national transportation system.

The architecture contains one program activity:

The economic regulation of the federal transportation system.

2.1.1 Financial Resources (in thousands of dollars):


 

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

Air Transportation

6,675 5,687 5,687

Rail Transportation

4,918 4,918 4,918

Marine Transportation

810 810 810

Accessible Transportation

2,047 2,047 2,047

Members and regulatory support

5,643 5,643 5,643

Corporate services

6,724 6,724 6,724

Total Program Activity

26,817

25,829

25,829


2.1.2 Human Resources


2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

267

257

257


2.1.3 Program Activity Description

The Canadian Transportation Agency manages the economic regulation of air, rail and marine transportation through the administration of laws, regulations, voluntary codes of practice, educational and outreach programs and through the resolution of disputes. As an independent quasi-judicial administrative tribunal reporting to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Canadian Transportation Agency makes its decisions independently, on a wide range of matters affecting Canadian transportation.

All decisions on matters before the Agency, whether they relate to air, rail, marine or accessible transportation matters, are made by Agency members appointed by the Governor in Council.

2.1.4 Performance Measurement Strategy

As part of its action plan on Modern Comptrollership and with funding received from Treasury Board Secretariat, the Agency developed its own Performance Measurement Framework. Results chains and performance measures were developed for all Agency business operations. (Reference can be made to Item 4.1.1 under Section IV for the Agency's overall results chain.)

Although the Agency is in its early implementation stage of its performance measurement plan, a number of important steps have already been undertaken:

  • Reports were made to the Agency's executives on key performance information.
  • Performance measures, key performance targets and workload indicators are now incorporated into the Agency's operational plan review process, which forms the basis for the annual resource allocation exercise.
  • The Agency's application information system, the primary source for actual performance data and information, was improved to provide more pertinent performance information including reporting by sub-activity, level of complexity, average time to process cases, to name a few.

Generating and using better performance information is a key element of the Agency's management priority to address workload and resource issues. Over time, we are confident that it will allow the Agency to improve its management practices and make better use of its resources for improved results.

2.1.5 Expected Results

The three results expected from the Agency's ongoing activities are:

  1. The fair, effective and efficient resolution of federal transportation issues.
  2. The removal of undue obstacles for persons with disabilities from federally-regulated transportation.
  3. The protection of the economic and other interests of transportation users, carriers and other affected parties.

All three expected results directly contribute to the Agency's ongoing business priority to deliver its mandate, the key element of which is to make sound decisions within the time frames established in the legislation on issues and disputes affecting the transportation system and on matters specified in the legislation under the Agency's responsibility.

To do so, the Agency applies a decision-making process that is governed by the rules of fairness and the legislation, regulations and legal principles applicable to the case. The Agency also ensures that Agency members and staff maintain a high level of expertise in the transportation field and keep abreast of the constant evolution of the industry and its players.

Where possible, the Agency offers mediation as an alternative to its formal process. This allows parties to resolve their issues in an informal manner that is simple, rapid, less litigious and less costly than the Agency's traditional hearing process. The mediator and the disputing parties work together to develop solutions and produce collaborative outcomes resulting in better understanding between the parties and in agreements that inspire high levels of satisfaction and commitment.

The "Accessible Transportation" sub-activity contributes to one expected result. The other key program sub-activities (Air, Rail and Marine Transportation) each support more than one expected result. The sub-activity "Members and regulatory support" contributes to all three expected results.

Result 1: Fair, effective and efficient resolution of federal transportation issues

Part of the Agency's mandate is to resolve transportation issues affecting all modes of transportation under the federal transportation network: air, rail and marine transportation. It does so either by investigating and making formal tribunal decisions on complaints and ordering corrective measures as required, or by assisting parties in resolving their issues through mediation or other informal processes. During the planning period, one of the Agency's priorities will be to improve its dispute resolution system in order to provide more timely resolution of disputes.

Issues addressed by the Agency include:

Air transportation:

  • complaints related to carriers' application of their tariff provisions and on prices applied by air carriers on non-competitive routes within Canada (to ensure that air carriers licensed to operate in Canada meet the legislative requirements in place to protect Canadians); and
  • appeals of increases in air navigational charges imposed by Nav Canada (to ensure that principles used to establish the charges are in compliance with the legislation).

Rail transportation:

  • disputes between shippers and rail carriers regarding issues such as: interswitching, competitive or single line rates; joint rates; running rights; joint track usage; and level of service; and
  • disputes between railway companies and municipalities, road authorities, landowners and others that interact with them.

Marine transportation:

  • complaints about user fees charged by Canadian port authorities and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (to determine if they are unjustly discriminatory);
  • opposition to proposed pilotage charges (to determine whether the pilotage authority has based its fees to continue operations on a self-sustaining financial basis, and if the proposed user charges are fair, reasonable and in the public interest); and
  • complaints about agreements between shipping conferences or actions by a member of a cartel of shipping lines (to ensure that no such agreement or action reduces competition or results in an unreasonable increase in price or reduction in service).

Agency performance in attaining this result will be monitored by examining:

  • the nature of key decisions on air, rail and marine transportation disputes and complaints;
  • the number and trends of air, rail and marine transportation disputes and complaints resolved and in process through either formal or informal methods;
  • the number and nature of Agency decisions and orders on air, rail and marine disputes and complaints that are appealed and the number and percentage that are upheld or overturned on appeal;
  • the percentage of cases resolved within the relevant statutory deadline; and
  • the comments of parties involved in mediation and informal dispute resolution processes undertaken by the Agency and the level of resolution of the disputes.

Result 2: The removal of undue obstacles for persons with disabilities from federally-regulated transportation

The Canada Transportation Act gives the Agency the power to eliminate undue obstacles to the mobility of Canadians with disabilities. It does so in two ways:

  • on a case-by-case basis by resolving individual complaints formally and ordering remedial actions as required, or through mediation or other informal processes; and
  • on a systemic basis by developing regulations, codes of practice and standards concerning the level of accessibility in all modes of transport under federal jurisdiction.

Agency performance will be monitored by examining:

  • the nature of key decisions on accessibility dispute cases;
  • the number and trends of accessibility complaints resolved and in process through both formal and informal methods;
  • the trends and type of undue obstacles found by the Agency;
  • feedback from people with disabilities on the accessibility of public air, rail or ferry travel;
  • the results of monitoring of the transportation industry's compliance with Agency codes of practice (air, rail, ferry and communications); and
  • the number and nature of Agency decisions and orders on accessibility complaints that are appealed and the number and percentage that are upheld or overturned on appeal.

Result 3: Protection of the economic and other interests of transportation users, carriers and other affected parties

Although the government's transportation policy favours competition and market forces, it also recognizes that certain measures are required to protect consumers, shippers and Canadian carriers. As such, the Agency's activities include:

Air transportation:

  • licensing air carriers that provide domestic or international publicly available air transportation services (to ensure that carriers hold liability insurance, a valid Canadian aviation document and that Canadian carriers are owned and controlled by Canadian citizens);
  • administering a permit system for international charter operations (to protect international passenger charter flight advance payments); and
  • participating in bilateral air transport negotiations and implementing agreements and arrangements (to ensure that bilateral agreements are implemented fairly, balancing the interests of all parties).

Rail transportation:

  • making an independent and fair assessment of the annual revenue caps for Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) for the movement of Western grain and determining if the railway companies have exceeded their revenue entitlement for the movement of Western grain;
  • issuing rail certificates of fitness to federally-regulated rail carriers (to ensure that they hold adequate liability insurance); and
  • assessing the environmental impacts of proposed railway construction projects and ordering corrective measures as required.

Marine transportation:

  • determining if Canadian ships are available to operate commercial services proposed to be provided by foreign ships in Canadian waters (to ensure that no foreign ships will be allowed to operate commercial services in Canadian waters if a suitable Canadian ship is available to carry out the services).

Agency Performance will be monitored by examining:

  • the number and trends in licence applications denied, licence suspensions, new licences issued and charter permits issued and denied;
  • feedback from shippers, producers and carriers who participate in the Agency's process to develop the Western grain transportation revenue cap and the number and nature of decisions related to Western grain transportation;
  • the volume of rail certificates of fitness issued, monitored, amended, suspended, revoked and denied;
  • the volume and nature of environmental assessments of rail construction projects;
  • the volume of decisions on coasting trade applications and the number of applications that result in rulings that Canadian ships, as opposed to foreign ships, are available to deliver cargo within Canada; and
  • the number and nature of Agency decisions and orders on air, rail and marine matters that are appealed and the number and percentage that are upheld or overturned on appeal.