The government seems to be in this state of mind and are trying to cut costs. Well it is ok to try and keep costs down but at whos expense. I know where the government can save a lot of money and crime is running rampid and if the police together with government would wake up and listen to a small nobody like me then there would be a lot of expenses saved. The news has corruption in it everyday and sponsorship scandal had information about top level scandals. We should start at the top and have some officials abide by the laws. Those scandals should not be forgotten and makes me wonder what other issues have not been revealed yet. Take for example the financial crisis and people were signing 40 and 50 year mortages that they could not pay back. This made the economy in the housing market appear in good shape when really it was not. We have been living in a false economy but the recession show what it really is like. Air safety is not an area to cut costs. We should be proud that someone came forward. Thanks Peter

How can the people who are supposed to keep us safe let us ride on risk like this don't they have families and friends that fly or they themselves fly? This is unbelieveable. Nice to know a plane will have to crash before they start thinking something is wrong.

Katherine's Oct 26 post said: "Years ago, someone told me "Never bring a problem to a manager, only bring solutions."

I agree with her; when I worked as an owner's superintendent in private industry, that is the philosophy I followed.

Sadly in Transport Canada that does not work; senior management do not want to know. They have their own agenda, no amount of fact will sway them. I believe there is ample public evidence to show this comment applies to all modes of transport.

My question to the CBC is that, now that you have shown you have the guts to open up this issue, do you have the guts to follow up on it?

Where are our Opposition MP's - ask them to comment on the very serious allegations raised in 'Riding on Risk'. Why is this not discussed in Parliament? Where is our Auditor General, Sheila Fraser?

Since no one in the Industry or the Gov't Regulator is willing to give their name - this should be worrisome enough.

CBC - do your job (once again). A free press is the last defence of a just society.

Excellent story!!! But there is one last bit I would have liked to see... Years ago, someone told me "Never bring a problem to a manager, only bring solutions." Meaning, think of it from their point of view and tell them the solution at the same time - its definitely worked for me! So in this case, the problem is Transport Canada has off loaded their responsibilities to private industry because of cost. The cost has not gone down. The Government has not gotten richer, especially in the last few years. So, other than the one solution that the government has already decided they can't afford, what other solutions would these insiders suggest to clear up these security and safety issues? Please be assured that I am not blaming the insiders or saying that it is their job to find solutions - but from experience I've found that stating the solution at the same time, is pretty much the only way to bring about change. For example: Perhaps they could suggest starting more practicums for those studying aviation mechanics. They could check and fix all aircraft - at least they would do a better job than having no one check at all...Or on the baggage issue - was there really absolutely no way they could have legitimately checked that one bag, without rechecking hundreds of people all over again?... They had a lot of specialists, I'll bet they are up to this task.

What Canada needs is a whistle blower like the US insurance top executive,gentleman who blew the whistle on insurance companies,who had enough guts and balls to stand up and say this is why the insurance companies are doing this!!!!!!!!!!!Is there not anyone in the travel/airline who has the same integrity as this chap in the USA??
No offense to Canada but you are famous for complaining and not wanting to CHANGE or Act soooooooooo...that is why it is being done to all Canadians and you all allow it,sorry to say but it is true!!

Very well done, but you've just scratched the surface. I think it speaks volumes that everyone(employed in the industry) who commented on this report refuses to identify themselves, all for the same reason. Have you looked at the hours we are required to work and the required rest periods? The definitions versus the actual practices would be very surprising to the general public. Again it is tolerated because to operate according to the Canadian Aviation Regulations would not be a good career move for the individual.
Please don't let this fade away, Canada needs desperately a change in this industry!!

The comments from the retired TC inspector are bang on and this is happening in every federal regulatory department not just TC. Regulators, auditors and inspectorates do the hands-on work that citizens expect of their governments. Sadly these important "results-based" objectives are pushed aside to make room for more bureaucratic process and procedure that does not actually produce any tangible results for the citizenry. The resources spent on administrative process, accountability procedures, internal bilingualism, external and web-publishing requirements is an unfathomable amount of time and money which could likely fund an army of inspectors performing all manner of real, tangible, hands-on, results oriented inspection work.
Unlike most working-level clerical and administrative positions in the government, the working level technical positions are severely underpaid and recruitment and retention of these skilled technical inspection staff is withering at an alarming pace.

It used to be that the 80-20 rule meant that 80% of departmental resources were spent on performing functions directly related to the department mandate, with 20% going to administration. Now it is the complete opposite. Who cares if the government can publish technical schematics and specifications in 2 languages and in a manner that blind people can read if it takes nearly all the department resources to accomplish that and there is none left for actually ACHIEVING the mandate?? This is now what civil servants do....run around ensuring that Treasury Board rules and policies are met....departmental mandates are secondary. It is really scary, as just like the retired TC inspector states, the senior civil servants have no clue and are more concerned about their career path than actually achieving tangible results.

The media should really start asking some hard questions to the goverment about what their priorities really are. Sadly, as one who knows, it will only get worse unless there is major a shift away from politics and political correctness, back towards science based fact and pragmatism.

The task of convincing Canadians there is an impending need for concern continues to be underscored by the system we allow to endure. That said, momentum continues to build, and, as more commoners become aware, the required efforts of the select few who educate will be proportionately reduced by the shear strength of power beheld by the court of public opinion.

When all this culminates to a head the great bullet-proof wall of secrecy will finally come down ,and, like in the nursery rhyme - all the king’s horses and all the king’s men will not be able to put it back together again. As it should be!

For now, we must remain hopeful and "in check" that the collective effort for change will reduce the number of families needlessly diminished by the current disaster at hand. Those who steadfastly refuse to acknowledge this reality may be best to stand on the sidelines in a state of denial lest remain in the way. The other option, of course, would be to simply climb on board. After all, positive change requires a collective effort and the job can only get done by continuing to request "a little help from our friends".

Hope

In a report titled, Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Assessment, done for the City of Victoria Of March 2006 and found on the city's website, the following statement was made in relation to Victoria's aerodrome that operates from it's harbour.
"However, the potential for an incident given the harbour's physical constraints and marine traffic and flight frequency is evident".

This risk assessment was based on 2001 information of 21,000 air craft movements made annually.
Today the air craft movements are 35,000 plus annually in an already over extended harbour. Several more large condo towers lining harbour frontage have been completed making for increased population density.

The other consideration is the high level of concentrated float plane and helicopter emissions , containing carcinogenic Volatile Organic Compounds that are released at point blank distance into densely populated neighbourhoods.

Noise levels in the range of 100 decibels, (very high risk for permanent hearing damage) have been recorded on takeoff just metres away from public walkways and buildings. Transport Canada is well aware of the hazards but continues to ignore community concerns in spite of numerous submissions from residents begging for a resolution.

The primary users are provincial bureaucrats and civil employees flying to the Capital Legislature on the tax payers' dime along with business travellers and some tourists. The harbour aerodrome provides a convenience by its central downtown location in that it saves travellers 30 minutes driving time as opposed from using Victoria's international airport located out side city limits.

Water aerodromes using primitive bush plane technology to connect modern cities, is a self serving indulgence putting lives at risk for the convenience of a small minority of users. If this activity is to continue then these float planes must be relocated away from densely populated core areas and mandated to an appropriate facility regulated by proper safety and environmental controls.

As it stands now, Transport Canada is quite content to do absolutely nothing to address citizen concerns about public safety and the negative impact this aerodrome is having on the quality of life for many people here in Victoria.
Transport Canada is willing to permit further increased activity levels of float planes under the present conditions. This is absolute madness bordering on criminal negligence.

Riding on Risk
I just watched the Riding on Risk program. I have to say that as a retire TC Civil Aviation Safety Inspector (CASI) you are so close to the truth it hurts.

The following speaks to TC Civil Aviation Safety Inspections not to TC Aviation Security.
There really wasn’t a transition from tried and true inspection and audit system to the new Safety Management System (SMS). If there had been things could be different. One day we stopped enforcing because TC management wanted to demonstrate that a major industrial culture change was needed. To jump start this change TC advanced the “Non-punitive reporting requirements” to everyone – bush planes, helicopters and large operators.

There was to be a phased in approach to this culture change that started with the large operators. If you goofed or were non-compliant all you had to do was report it and TC would let you off if you sent in a corrective action plan (CAP) and did a little study on the cause of the problem. TC didn’t have a format for the inspectors to assess these CAP’s so not too much ever happened with them. The large operators were given about 5 years to get the “accountable executives” signed on and prove to TC that they could self regulate. The rest of the operators are still a long way from SMS.

In the meantime TC was slowly dismantling the inspection and audit process for all air operators. The replacement programs eventually arrived as “Program Validation Inspections” (PVI’s) and “Assessments”. Ottawa Aviation Standards slowly churned out ideas and left it to each of the 5 regions and Nation Op’s to try to design processes and procedures to meet these elusive ideas. Each region was and is still doing there own thing. There are no standard approaches. An “operator “(interchangeable with the term “Enterprise”) in Quebec would be treated totally different than if they operated in Ontario.

TC Civil Aviation in the meantime had embarked on its own equivalent culture change known as the “Integrated Management System” (IMS). With the emphasis placed on paperless document retention and “National Organization Transition Implementation Project” (NOTIP) a slow, pondering, cruel method of changing TC staff jobs, work environment, office locations and the general business model. The end model has, to date never been settled on.

A large number of Superintendents, Managers, Directors and few Regional Director General’s positions are filled as Acting Positions. These Actors are all good people but with their wish to get ahead or even to keep their substantive positions they are highly unlikely to rock the boat. Important questions concerning the actual work of the safety oversight being done are not asked by Actors.

Management’s expectation or long term vision is that the inspectorate would be working together in “Enterprise Teams”. These teams would comprise specialists such as pilots, cabin safety, OSH, Dangerous Goods, Aircraft Mechanics and so on. The ever changing plan is to take the Group Specialist Superintendents (front line supervisors) from these expert areas and make them “Enterprise Team Leads”. The fact that the pilots make thousands of dollars more each year than the other superintendents wasn’t figured in by management. After all they would all be doing identical work for seriously different pay. The CASI would also be farmed off to these enterprise teams to conduct equal work but they have the same pay problems as the superintendents. This has the obvious end result of very poor moral and serious disempowerment.

Rather than a specialist inspector getting quality face time with the operator, a mixed team shows up and asks multitudes of predesigned administrative questions to see if the operator can demonstrate how they comply to the assorted rules and regulations. If the inspector isn’t asking a question he is taking notes to be used in the end report. (a good use of your tax dollars there.) If the inspector gets the feeling that things aren’t good he can explore or dig down - but only in the area he has a bad feeling about. After all is said and done a report is produced and a “risked base” number on a scale of 1-5 is applied to the operator. 3 is okay, a 1 or 4 is unheard of and a 5 is not possible. A 2 is not good and the operator has the threat that TC will issue a notice of suspension against the company’s Operations Certificate (OC).

Some operators pay lip service to SMS others really try to comply. It cost less to pay lip service than to actually pay for the proper resources and training for an effective SMS program. In this competitive environment safety compliance really has nowhere to go but to the lowest common denominator or, the least compliant.

Inspectors are a stoic bunch. Even those of us that retire or quit won’t speak badly about TC Aviation but – someone has to listen to those that do. The reduction on quality TC face time with industry is astonishing. Someone has to listen to those outside of TC ,in industry, the current victims of unsafe conditions. Someone has to look at other groups operating under systems similar to Aviation's SMS and learn from the bad examples such as Walkerton, CN Rail, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, CATSA.

This process was started by the Liberal Government and has been continued on by the Conservatives. It is a political issue but at the same time it is the bureaucrats located at the highest levels that are so badly managing the directives coming out of Treasury Board. The Minister really needs to look at those folks and then fix the problem. A combination of old and new would, at the end of the day, work out the best.

In the meantime please avail yourselves of that wonderful legislation called “Access to Information” and see how many inspection, audits and enforcement actions were being conducted before SMS. Compare them to the current number of assessments and PVI’s. Check to see the number of non-compliance reports and CAP’s are being submitted to TC. How many are repeat offences and how many were accepted by TC and not followed up on to see if they were implemented or actually worked. Also check and see the reduction in staff for the same time period. When Listeria strikes the aviation industry there is no recalling the meat back.

The CBC Fifth Estate is to be commended on its investigation into air safety (Riding on Risk).

However, there are several issues which may not have been highlighted; I will touch on three of them:

1) The evident failure of BILL C-11:THE PUBLIC SERVANTS DISCLOSURE PROTECTION ACT to give Safety Inspectors the confidence to come forward with safety concerns, with the expectation they will be addressed & that there will be no retribution.

2) The lack of a Safety Culture - Transportation Safety Board report R06V0136 into the fatal railway accident at Lillooet BC 29 June 2006 chastized CN for the failure of its Safety Management System - railway engineers did not report their safety concerns until after the incident (with 2 fatalities). Considering the information reported on 'Riding on Risk', it is not surprising that front line personnel in industry are unwilling to report safety concerns.

3) The lack of accountability - despite the very serious public allegations raised by the Fifth Estate, there is no media response or rebuttal posted by the Minister. If he does not hold himself Accountable tp address these allegations to the Canadian public, it is the job of the Opposition parties to do so. It will be interesting to see if any of our MP's do their job.

Excellent investigative reporting as usual. Please continue to chase this story and conduct follow-up reports - until such time as our skies are safe and accidents that are bound to happen are investigated with Vigilance, respecting the lives of families involved.

This story was the worst piece of "investigative journalism" I have seen. There was no investigation, no in depth explanation of what the issues were. In fact, there was nothing but sensationalism and the airing of grievances by people with axes to grind.

I expect better from our public broadcaster!

The origin of the problem lies with the Cretien Government, when Martin was Finance Minister and Dodge was the Deputy. Have departments were with lots of employees and infrastructure (needing replacement) were identified and cut back. Eventually TC lost the capacity to fulfill its mandate. The Answer - first divest yourself of the costs - ie. create NAV CANADA, Coast Guard over to Fish and Chips, turn over the airports to local authorities and then divest yourself of the responsibility - creating SMS where the regulation turns over all the responsilbility to the Accountable Executive. Pass on the cost of audits and inspections while reducing the liability. Good Stuff.

I find it disturbing that such harsh comments are made based on a show that airs for one hour. The full facts are not given, issues are sensationalized and the focus is put on a situation that may be one in a million. The reality is that in aviation there are issues and Transport Canada is doing it’s best to provide the proper level of safety. To expect that no accidents will happen is ludicrous and no one can guarantee this. All that can be done is do be diligent and ensure we do everything possible to provide the proper level of safety and always improve.

If you think things are so bad will you stop flying?

The facts are:
Canada has one of the best if not the best aviation safety records in the world.
Transport Canada, although small in comparison to other civil aviation authorities is regarded around the world as one of the best and is held in high regard by other authorities
You are more likely to be in a car accident in your life time by over a factor of 100 – will you stop driving?
There are more car accidents in a day then there are aircraft accidents in a year.

Maybe you should do a follow up show on what Transport Canada is doing and how effective it is. Show some of the good news stories they create.

Thin on content. Thinner on premises, which were what exactly? Was this about security at Toronto's Lester B Pearson? Okay fine, fix the alleged problems. Was this about treatment of current TC employees? Okay...more data needed.

Or perhaps this was about hazards of flying in a DHC2 in remote coastal BC. There are many that are a daily risk that is normally managed, but you should be aware of them if that concerns you. The Davis Inlet example was tragic, but very short on the info that conclusively linked this accident to a wider problem, if any exists(And not 10 years ago!) today.

Or was this about downloading of duties from government to industry? If so make the story next time. Don't merely supply hyperbole, raised eyebrows, and shots of a telephone display.

I have flown for many years and watched so called security tightened more and more with less and less things being allowed to be carried on as hand baggage. We are severely rstricted with regard to liquids and sharp objects, yet we are still allowed to purchase alcohol in glass bottles and carry them on board.
Alcohol, especially 150 proof is flamable and a broken bottle is a terrifying weapon when waved in someones face. I guess profit from alcohol sales still tops security.

Great job Fifth Estate for exposing the cover up and disgraceful acts Transport Canada is trying to hide. Following the broadcast last night I wrote an email to the transport minister referring to your report and condemning the tardy and disgraceful treatment of safety in our airline industry.

To the whistleblowers and those that spoke out to bring this issue into the public eye, you are all heroes!!. You risked much and you should be applauded and protected.

Please don't let this issue disappear off your radar screen Fifth Estate. Its a shame, but as i am sure you and your audience knows, without continued pressure and embarrassing coverage our politicians will be slow to move. The only other and far more frightening driver will be the loss of many lives as a result of a tragic, yet preventable accident.

This risk management approach from Transport Canada is just a transfer of responsability from government to industry. The private sector has never,is not and will never put safety ahead of profit. If you think you are safe when you fly with a large carrier then try a smaller one, many safety issue should come to your mine we just have to take the example of the Q400 in Detroit.Our pilots in this country are considered has truck driver. Thank's CBC for showing us the reality of our regulator.

I enjoyed your show on Transport Canada and our Air Port security. This is a crime against the Canadian People..The fact that people who try to come forward and express concerns, and point out problems, are then punished (punished is a polite way of putting this) by Transport Canada, shows what happens when a bureaucrat is given too much authority..I would like to see ( just once) A reporter be able to tell a politician (John Baird)YOU ARE NOT ANSWERING MY QUESTION...THE PEOPLE WHO PAY AND THE PEOPLE WHO ELECTED YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO A STRAIGHT ANSWER..ARE OUR AIRPORTS SAFE. If he says yes then you know what everyone else knows about politicians;; He has no Idea...

Good show, but I didn't learn very much. Having dealt with T.C. maritime people and with the local coastal industry Transport Canada are at this very moment putting the finishing touches on contracting out marine safety to vessel operators. In fact in the community of Campbell River there are quite a few tugboat incidents because Transport Canada would appear to be out of the regulatory business. It also true that TC will intimate and circle the wagons between them and their transport carrier clients. That's what they call the industry, clients. You know that mentality, the customer is always right.

an absolute joke!!!

as someone who is traveling soon i am very upset by this.
great reporting on your behalf but this has to be corrected. our government is a joke and i am embarrassed to be one of its citizens.

keep up the pressure please!!!!!!

Was I surprised by the story? N0. Do I trust our government? NO. until we all stand up and stop worrying about out incomes and houses and livelyhood nothing will be accomplished. You need to get about 50,000 people to go out on the street and do a march to queens park then you might get the attention of the government bureaucrats who are scared stiff lazy desk huggers who won't lift a finger until their own jobs are threatened. After hearing Baird and his obvious lies - what do you expect from these people? They know they can get you anytime and anywhere since now you can't even make a complaint to human rights anymore. It is now a tribunal process. We are losing our rights infront of our eyes because we don't want to stand up and do something about it. We will be the losers in the end if people don't get a conscience and start making our politicians liable for all this nonsense and non chalance. VOTE. Who Cares. Need I say more?

Your findings, observations & insights into Transport Canada's lack of oversight, incompetence & a culture of burying the truth is nothing new.

The long standing practice of sewering whistleblowers and those who are competent and capable is is a cornerstone of being part of the Public Service. Corrections, Policing, Military and now TC have all been guilty of turning a blind eye. I know of many personal stories of people standing up and doing what was morally right - only to be steamrolled by the government. While I commend those who have personally sacrificed in the belief of the "greater good", I wouldn't recommend it - sadly, the only one who will suffer is the individual, not the manager, the Commissioner or the Minister.

John Baird is the biggest tool in Canada, if his lips are moving he is surely lying. Same goes for the whole Harper government really. Lies upon lies, "No we arn't going to tax income trust" Ooops 25 billion lost overnight, mostly from seniors. "we're not going to run a deficit" Oppps ok we are and it going to be huge, oh look just got even bigger suddenly still, surprise. "We stand up for Canadian citizens abroad" oh unless your skin is brown, or your a muslim, or were forced to be a child soldier and if your all three well wellcome to hell..Ask the guy stuck in the Canadian Embasey on a cot for years, or the woman who was told she was an imposter despite many valid corroberating peices of I.D. or that poor kid down in Gitmo. Canada was a sponser on the UN bill on the rights of Child Soldiers for godness sake. Sadly most conservative voters hear Harper say "Tax cut" and vote for them. Please stop voting if you don't acctually understand what your doing.

Thankyou, CBC, for standing up for the Canadian public.I was under the impression that our Government was sparing no expense when it came to the safety of air travel. Suprize, suprise, again our elected officials serve up another screen of smoke and mirrors.Is there no political party in Canada that actually thinks of it citizens the day after our ballots are counted. Dear Mr.Stephen Harper, here is a chance to create some meaningful employment that actually benefits all Canadians. Give TC. a clear mandate to keep us safe and the funds and the trained impartial inspectors to find the infractions and the athority enforce the regulations. I hope that we have not heard the last of this story, we must keep holding Government accountable for these types of coverups.

My wife and i travel to indonesia every year via singapore,taiwan, korea etc. We have the opportunity to talk to friends from England.Germany South Africa, India Spain just to say a few and it is common to hear that air travel in Canada is a joke!Over priced,piss poor service and all the rest that goes with an airline that has too many pigs, government and private at the trough. See an airline run right, try Singapore or Thai and like us find a way to vacation out of any north american airlines flight path!

I was so upset by the Report on The Fifth Estate this evening ( Sept.29th/2009 )that I couldn't sit back and ignore what I heard. My friends, my family and I have been led to believe that Safety Canada and Transport Canada have a duty to keep us safe.
I was discussed by what I heard, I am a proud Canadian and I always think that because I am Canadian that the Prime Minister and those in power make sure that Canada lives up to extreme standers. What I heard sure has put a bitter taste in my mouth. Who do we contact to voice our concerns too?
Someone has to be responsible for helping these people who Blow the Whistle on these happenings and allow them to tell their story to the public dispite any gag order they were forced to sign.
Thank-you for giving me a conduit to voice my concerns
Audrey

Perhaps reciting facts to the Minister involved 'Mr. Baird' re crashed aircraft, more satisfactory answers for me 'josie public' would comfort a Canadian domestic traveler. Regards FM De Cook

This is a good example of neo liberal policy of deregulation. self interest and efficiency...do not necessarily add up to good value...and definitely not safety. the foxes already have control of the hen house...and the wrong people are being persecuted for this.

I note that David Newman has mentioned Dr. Waldron and his expertise in air accident investigations in these comments. It should be noted that it was R.J. Waldron's that Kirsten Stevens and the other families hired to examine the wreckage of CGAQW. The case was assigned to George Heath, a former TSB investigator himself.

In association with the findings, a letter of recommendations to the Coroner was also prepared including: "6. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada should review its occurrence classification policy to achieve the legislated mandate of investigating aircraft accidents to determine the cause, and to make recommendations to prevent recurrence. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada did not fulfill its obligation in this occurrence."

Since the release of that report, it is my understanding that, among other retaliations, R.J. Waldron's has been obstructed in its "interested observer" status during TSB investigations when hired by operators and insurance companies to represent them.

I hope you will do follow-up, and include such respected individuals such as Dr. Waldron and of course, Justice Virgil Moshansky.

Thank you for helping to open the eyes of Canadians.

This is no big surprise...if you work at a Canadian airport.
Take some time to look into what Transport Canada is doing with airport Fire & Rescue Services at smaller airports. They have reduced, or eliminated Emegency Services at many airports, passing on the responsibility to local fire departments, who by their own admission are not properly trained in Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting.
Passengers on a plane departing from Toronto Airport can have the comfort of knowing that they have numerous fire personel and equipment on duty 24 hours a day, should something go wrong. But that same plane, same passengers may be landing at an airport with no fire & rescue personel on duty, or maybe a plow operator that has been given basic instructions on the operation of a fire truck.
Take a look back at what happened to Pacific Western Airlines in Cranbrook BC (11 February 1978).The same thing is going to happen, it's just a matter of time.
As was said in your program....."Riding On Risk"

Being a flight attendant this suprises me! But then I think, I have NEVER been screened while bypassing at Pearson Airport. Same as Vancouver. The only time We're screened at pearson is when flying to the USA.

We're screened more often through customs than security! And to think that a lot of the people who work for CATSA haven't even lived in Canada for more than a year is disgusting.

This truly goes to show that they're more interested in if you're carrying a bottle of pop in your bags instead of a knife.

We as cabin crew are subject to random screenings, yet I've only ever been bypass screened in Winnipeg and Halifax. EVER!

Therre are even airports where Flight Crew and Cabin Crew are ushered through the back door, through the bag room on to the tarmac without as much as having your RAIC screened!!!

A good show but as other people said you have only
touched the tip of the iceberg. However, one other thing I would like to add is John Baird is only given
the information Transport Canada burecrats want him to hear. I think if he knew the truth his comments and actions might be quite different.

---------SHOCKING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-----TO THINK THAT WE ARE UNWITTINGLY ABUSED BY THE VERY PEOPLE WE SENT TO OTTAWA, EVERY TIME WE FLY OUT OF A CANADIAN AIRPORT, OR BOARD(SEEMINGLY) ANY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION CRAFT

-----THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT IS A LAW UNTO ITSELF, ANSWERABLE TO NO ONE, REGARDLESS OF THE UNMITIGATED DISREGARD FOR THE SAFETY OF ITS CITIZENS, AND ANY WHO TRAVEL BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ,ESPECIALLY AIR

EVIDENTLY THIS IS NOT THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO EXPOSE THESE FLAGRANT VIOLATIONS, SO I ASK,

DO OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES IN OTTAWA NOT SEE, READ, OR HEAR THESE SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS ????????

MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT IF ANYTHING, ARE THEY DOING TO ADDRESS THEM????????????

You barely touched the surface of the problems. I am willing to bet each employee can tell you 20 to 100s of stories of infractions, severe violations and at the very least pressure to make on time and placated passengers more important then safety.

The MOT says buck stops here? He meant the complaint stops here. Employees are advised they should make confidential reports to Transport Canada but nothing is ever done. I have never seen any violation acted upon or regulations or manual wording changed or security heightened as follow up to a report.

As a matter of fact I was harassed for most of my career for being diligent and following the rules and ensuring that all employees, including management, did the same by citing the very regulations that we are all required to follow. My reports remained unheeded by the Company and Transport Canada even though I cited regulations set forth by and for the industry.

The Catch 22 of being a front line employee with an airline is we carry the liability as we are given the manuals, told we are liable to enforce the regulations and then are harassed and pressured constantly by management to not abide by those same regulations as safety is not a concern of management, profit is.

The MOT says he is not leaving the henhouse to the foxes? The CEO’s are being rewarded by bonuses to make profit and skirt the rules that impede profit. People are quite simply bums in the seat, $$$ profit and as long as there are no accidents, they will continue to skirt safety issues and not change. Profit over safety is governing the operation of airports and all the travel industry in Canada.

The Companies will deny it, but diligent employees can back that claim. What Company would not issue a statement which cites their safety record rather then discuss infractions, incidents, cover ups and accidents?

The MOT needs consistent rules and vigilance? That was supposed to always be the case and always implemented. Employees are told it is in place, but there is no professional tension from transport Canada and certainly not the MOT. They rarely know any of the regulations which they themselves ask us to adhere to daily. The tension is on the front-line employees to be the backbone of safety and professionalism and also be on time. There is no support but lots of threats.

The Company CEOs laugh in the face of MOT and have for some time. Who is ensuring that rules are being followed? Just what is the job of Transport Canada Inspectors in this day and age? To make the rules and regulations and manuals to follow, of course.

So, the training, the manuals and logs and the reports and rules are in place, but who is following them and policing when they are not being adhered to? Who is to be vigilant ... the front line employees alone? The employees would say it surely seems so. The diligent ones, that is.

The Minister of Transport’s constant use of euphemisms was annoying and distracting. Did the public notice he couldn’t counter the allegations? I sincerely hope so and that people write their MP’s and Prime Minister to question Canada’s unsafe Transportation practices by the very Governance that was designed to protect the public.

The Marine side of Transport Canada is just as corrupt.

The information is available to all those who care to access it through the freedom of information act. We have a document management system which is ultimately owned by all Canadians.

Apart from the vessels already commented on by others try the records for
Birchglen,
Spruceglen,
Algocanada,
Kathryn Spirit,
Algoport
and Pineglen
.........to name but a few.
You may be surprised at who owns some of these vessels!!

Embedded in the records you will find examples of inspectors who raise issues concerning safety and smoke and mirror responses from management.

You will see the headlong rush into delegating responsibilities on Canadian ships into private hands when all indicators are that we should not have done so.
(Somewhat akin to letting a known child molester babysit your children).

You will see inadequate monitoring of delegated programs with no teeth and minimal resources.

In June 2007 the world body of shipping (IMO) audited TC Marine Safety "invited" (tactfully put) Canada to provide systematic oversight to those private companies who TCMS have delegated to, whether or not deservedly.

Then there are the owners themselves who demand an arms length approach from Taransport Canada Marine Safety whilst certainly not deserving it.

Thankyou Fifth Estate for prying open the door to the travesty in Transport Canada.

I must remain ...yours anonymously.

Thank you CBC for another powerful report. Thank you for intelligent investigative programs like W5 and Market Place. Apparently, our government is not there to protect us, it just wants our votes. I am a senior and I am quite alarmed to see the erosion in values and ethics at all levels. Governments (federal, provincial and municipal) have been downloading their responsibilities on the private sector more and more, with the sometimes tragic consequences we know (tainted food, sewers overflow, polluted rivers, food labels that are meaningless, etc.) The Transport Canada case at hand is quite alarming, both in terms of the department's abdication of its responsibility to oversee safety regulations properly and, also -- and it is perhaps even more disturbing to me -- in preventing its inspectors to do the job they were hired to do in the first place! Whistleblowers are heroes ! They take great risks, knowing fully they risk their career in doing so. I am grateful and proud that such honourable people still exist. And, by the way, I am quite sure that the inspector who "forgot" his memory stick on a table knew quite well what he was doing, since he had run out of options to get his department to listen to reason.

No fly restrictions on some individules have forced them to use our buses to cross the country. Knowing they don't always get that right it seems we are taking a more then desirable risk on any mode of public transportation. Sad now we are in a time when public transportation is encouraged for enviorment reasons.

This is just the tip of the ice burgh! When 702-703 operators are fully phased in under SMS there will be huge problems.

The difficulty is that the management at TC are so disconnected from the reality, that it will lead to more accidents in the future.

Why is TC handing the keys of the hen house to the fox.

It's a sad day for Air transport Safety in Canada.

Shame TC.

When is this government going to take responsibility ? We had the listeriosis fiasco, the body bag incident to native communities etc, etc. Could Mr. Baird not at least try to instill some modem of confidence to the people he was elected to serve !! I have lost all confidence in my government..

I am so outraged and hurt for Kirsten Stevens who lost her husband and the other families too who lost loved ones because of a cheap mechanical error that Transport Canada couldn't give a crap about! Canadians died Mr. Minister John Baird! did you hear that? and Transport Canada only looked at 10% of the 1200 or so crashes that happened that year. Minister Baird did you hear that? These people couldn't even grieve for their lost ones - they had to do the job for Transport Canada - band together, raise money and conduct their own investigation in order to bring some sort of closure. I admire these folks for doing all that BUT what do we pay tax dollars for? what is the new $350 million for Mr. Baird? I for one am so sick of politicians who pretend to give a rat's butt about issues for Canadians. Mr. Baird says "my job as Minister...is to be a spokesman...to be a champion...for Canadians" blah blah blah Ya? well why don't you step up then? why don't you actually listen to the whistleblowers, defend them and fire the TC a-holes that are threatening these inspectors with their jobs, workplace harrassment etc. Take a lesson from "Hugh" the inspector that lost his job - Stand Up for Something Mr. Minister. This bureacratic headiness is obviously rampant in powerful agencies no matter which party is seated at the right hand of the Speaker. It all boils down to money and ego and it is a shame on this country.

Sad to see this show stoop to shilling for a police state. This episode seemed to be nothing more than a fear-mongering pitch for more funding of a security state without any consideration of the root issues.

I hope this isn't setting the tone for the whole season or I will not be tuning in any more.

I was repulsed by the actions of John Baird in your report. He lied to your face and to the rest of the country when he said that he would never allow whistleblowers to pay repercussions for their actions.

Listening to your interview with Mr. Garrato was even more disturbing, they named HIM as a terrorist?? What is going on in this country??? There are more secrets here now than there were in the US with Bush and Cheney at the helm and what a pack of criminals they were.

I think what makes me even more mad is that this story has not made any headlines anywhere??!!! Are people in this country so passive that they really don't care that people are dying and going to die because the GOVERNMENT is a business???

I am really not ok with this and I would ask anyone to give me some advice on how as a normal citizen I can really make a difference. I'm sick and tired of being lied to by this government, Harper has lied to us as well as his own people ie: 'no no you won't be fired if you don't agree with me on the budget' 'ok I don't agree' 'oh well, your fired'. What kind of precedent does that set??

QUOTE: “Well, look I’m the ministry at the Treasury Board who brought in whistle blower protection for public servants so they’d have the confidence to be able to come forward and to talk about their concerns.” – John Baird

This may have been true when Mr. Baird was at the treasury board but it certainly didn’t follow him when he moved to be Minister of Transport.

Thank you taking TC to task on their shortcomings. I work in the marine industry and TC is taking the same 'self regulating' tact in TC Marine.

There never has been adequate resolution to the Queen of the North sinking.

A few years ago a vessel that takes school kids out for sailing experience had a propane leak and blew up. Fortunately the kids were ashore on Newcastle Island at the time.

Fish boats go down with no investigation.

Last winter a friend was took a position aboard a safety standby vessel for the East Coast oil and gas industry. he said the vessel was in such poor shape they could not have saved themselves let alone anybody on the oil rig. He could get no satisfaction out of local inspectors and finally went to the Merchant Service Guild to go after the brass in Ottawa to act. There was finally some grudging action taken. He is at sea right now but I will encourage him to contact you for follow-up.

I understand that another of the same companies ships, the Michael Amos was under arrest in Portugal. I understand that vessel left Singapore without crew members with the proper certification (Master and Chief Engineer) and was not in seaworthy condition on departure.

Another sad story was Port State control in Vancouver let a substandard vessel sail. It was immediately stopped on arrival in Australia.

If your going to do a follow-up on your story please wade into the quagmire at the Marine section.

They were just advertising for 30 inspectors I'd like to know how that went for them?

Regards,

Grant Samuel

Below is an excerpt from a story CTV aired on W Five, Feb. 07. There are eerie similarities with the connections to Transport Canada, Safety practices, regulation and concerns and the very real fear for retaliation and punative retribution to persons who speak out or voice concerns.

"Cost cutting that is leading to safety problems -- at least that's what Rhodes thinks. "Every train going through this country right now, it's a dice roll with CN," he says.

W-FIVE wanted to talk to CN about their safety history. After weeks of negotiating an interview date, CN agreed to talk to us, on camera -- only to back out of the interview the day before. Instead, CN sent us a seven-page letter extolling their safety record and commitment to safety.

Railway insiders say CN is not the only one to blame, and that government must bear some responsibility for the spike in accidents. Changes to railway legislation have taken power away from government -- yielding more authority to railway companies to develop their own safety schemes. "This is about failed transportation policy," says Gormick.

In recent months, Ottawa appears to have taken a keen interest in the number and severity of derailments. First in November an inquiry was called to investigate rail accidents in B.C. Then in December Transport Canada announced plans for a full review of the Railway Safety Act.

But any review or inquiry may be redundant when the Government probably already has the information they need about CN and railway safety in Canada. A Transport Canada safety audit of CN's practices has been kept secret for some time.

The safety audit, ordered in August 2005, was promised to be made public by the Liberals. Completed last year, the safety audit findings have not been released by the Conservative government. Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon says that's because CN doesn't want it made public. "I would want it to be made public but I can't," Cannon tells W-FIVE".

Dear Fifth Estate and Hanna Gardener,

Thank you for a very revealing season opener. In the many years I've enjoyed your program it is always such a relief not to view a repeat. Fresh knowledge is like a drop of adrenaline.

With this years opening episode regarding Transport Canada's safety issues, and John Baird's overseer status, one can only ask where have our intelligent politicians and government bureaucrats gone? Have we privatised sanity? Regardless of political persuasion, we as the silent majority of rational citizens, cry out for relief from the increasing incompetence! Please, as privileged as we all are to live in Canada, recently we fear our leaders squander reason and contract it back to Canadians as: did you want your trusted public representative's "sincerity" in a 'small, medium, or large?'$-$$-$$$

Locally and internationally, Canadians are proudly viewed as empathetic. Let us not be led by our pseudo intelligent leadership claiming competence while dodging present and future disasters. How many have to die to wake up the living???

Take up the responsibility and get on with it!

Spri-one

Well done, you are getting close but haven't even scratched the surface! Even in retirement, and now working in the industry, to speak up will still lead to retaliation from Transport Canada! Safety Management Systems has disemboweled the regulatory process and in particular the enforcement process relating to commercial aviation in Canada. Please have your researchers review the Dubin Reports of the late 70's and early 1980's and followed later by the Moshansky Reports. Both of these enquiries got it right but now have been totally shelved. It will likely take another major accident with a large loss of life and the next air safety enquiry to start repairing the damage that has been done by the lack of safety oversight in the aviation industry. After a 30+ year career in aviation safety in Transport Canada, it so sad to see what is happening to our industry. I truly hope for the traveling public and the industry's sake you will follow up and continue with this investigative story.
Signed a retired Transport Canada Inspector/Manager and Director

Bravo to all those who are speaking up re Transport Canada, with such great courage and conviction. Your example is so much needed and to be followed.

My plea to those in positions to contribute to greater good, yet who shiver in corners in fear; listen to that relentless small voice within, and acknowledge the importance of protecting all, instead of protecting yourselves, your own jobs and families. To those in higher places, and those at any level of involvement, who shrug responsibility - hang your heads in shame, consult your consciences and do the right thing.

We need no further mangled wreckage, nor battered lifeless bodies and fractured families arising from this shear unconscionable neglect.

I found The Fifth Estate's coverage on this very educational and informative. Transportation Canada's failure to have proper inspection policies is disturbing at the very least, and the fact that they are out of arm's reach of the Federal Government is quite alarming; they seem to be running like a Crown Corporation, and not a Federal Department. I hope more is done to ensure that the safety of Canadians (and our visitors to Canada) does not get compromised in the days, weeks, and years to come.

After watching this story on the Fifth Estate I will never ever travel the sky by a Canadian airline company.

This is discusting,once again, our government leading us to believe something that isn't true...

A beautiful case of bad reporting!

The widow, the former inspector and the efforts to address the issue of aviation safety is well depicted, but I am shocked to see an «information piece » showing Hana Gartner twice as much as the persons she interviews. CBC’s efforts to transform their reporters into star is laughable…

A question for this journalist and or the producer: did the Transport Canada employee you had on the phone knew you were taping the conversation? Did you inform him that you would be taping the conversation as any CBC reporter has the duty to do before any interview? Did he know that the tape of the conversation would be aired? I am sorry, but you give the impression that he was not (maybe because he cut the conversation short…)

My last comment: when interviewing the Minister of Transport (again, that we barely saw between long shots of Hana Gartner) her "voice over" mentioned something along the lines “ the Minister seemed to have a good idea of the identity of employee…”. I miss the times when serious reporters backed up their assertions and let to columnist the editorial comments. I really didn’t care about Ms. Gartner’s hunches, especially if she does not have a quote to back it up.

One day, I hope, CBC will be back to good reporting and not this joke…

As a very frequent domestic traveller, I have seen MY rights severely restricted more every year for the last 8 years. Without sounding racist, merely matter of fact, I have a problem with people from countries where terrorism is routed, quite possibly practising Muslims, telling me what I can and can't take on a domestic flight. I often wonder the wisdom of this practice, I feel that I am the one being discriminated against, in my own country. I don't think you would find any "white" Canadian Christians inspecting cargo/luggage in any of these terrorist supportive countries.

Motormouth John Baird was at it again. If prizes were to be given for politicians' ability to skate when faced with embarassing questions, Baird would win the Stanley Cup by a mile. His comments to Hana Gartner were about as useful as a mamillary appendage on an elephant's hind leg. I can only wish him to get a taste of his own medicine by being on the next flight which will encounter "technical difficulties" for lack of proper ground controls & in the name of expediency! Harper's governement just can't be defeated fast enough to get rid of such useless dead-weights as Baird.

Did you really think the government cared about the people. I'm getting sick and tired of all the double talk. Yes the buck stops here the government takes its share then passes the buck on. Come on people wake up.

The "Inspect the inspectors" senario not only pretains to Transport Canada but also applies to Government Procurement contracts as well; in particular DND contracts!

I loved the show.

It is however unfortunate that whistle blowers can't come forward. The senior bureaucrats politicians are obviously the issue in fostering cover ups and wash overs.

Good journalism.

No big surprise here.
Unfortunately we live in a country where government has totally and entirely abdicated its responsability regarding the safety of the traveling public.This is not only true for airline and airport safety.The railway system lacks Transport Canada supervision as well.
It is called "irresponsable downloading" .The private sector has never,is not now and will never put safety ahead of profit.
There was a time when we had a "central" government where rules and regulations were applied across the board,from coast to coast,covering everyone in the transportation industry.
Unless we get politicians and the public convinced that
more more government is needed on the national level,our safety and security will erode further and further.We have been on a slippery slope for quite some time now and we should not have to wait for a catastrophe to happen while Transport Canada is asleep at the switch or worse yet,unwilling to protect the public.
What would we do without the CBC? No wonder their funds are being cut time after time and efforts to privatize this broadcaster are very evident,and we all dread the day when someone manages to move the CBC national news to 11 PM.

Re: Victoria Inner Harbour Airport

The Victoria Harbour airport is one of the busiest small airports across Canada, but the risk factor here is one compounded by flights adjacent to residential highrises, plus the fact that float planes compete for very limited water space with water craft (both big and small boats, water taxis and kayaks). They also compete for air space with two adjacent helicopter pads. Boat traffic is increasing and a large new marina is soon to be built adjacent to the float plane runway. The number of floatplan flights is increasing each and every year, and now Transport Canada has built a new flight tower in attempt to get better control of this high risk situation. Float planes mean tourism and profit for the City of Victoria. However, more float planes and no risk assessment means a time bomb which is ready to go off. Transport Canada says people who buy condos on the harbour know that there are planes flying within several hundred yards are their residence. They know there is risk. There is a risk for the residents who live in the edge of this major waterway airport.

A very disturbing expose of lack of safety enforcement by transport Canada..absolutely disgusting. The main problem is, that there is no accountability of the industry, nor the people running this government department, and they continue to off load more of their responsibilitys to private businesses..and it is evident what the end results are going to be.. just like the examples you showed on your documentary. The other disturbing thing is the "whistle blower" legislation which the government made a big fanfare over, turns out to be more fluff than substance..so the "whistle blowers" are still treated as criminals, and the real criminals are still in charge of the departments. The government should be held totally accountable for this deceptive practice. The other alarm bells which this raises also, what about other industry safety concerns, such as the trucking industry, a news article in the last year, featured a semi driver in BC who was fired for bringing safety concerns to his employer's attention, and apparently true safety checks and compliance are non-existent in that industry as well. It is definitely past the time
for government to start doing their jobs in protecting the public from unnecessary risks in these industries.

Transport not only is in charge how CATSA, but also govern CBSA - you want to see screw up of mixing passengers (international and domestic) just see how this is done across the country - especially Halifax.

There have been a few security breaches at Halifax

I work in the aviation industry and this report hit very close to home. The comparison that the ex TC inspector made about self regulation in the airline industry being similar to the self regulation at Maple Leaf that led to the listerosis outbreak was right on. Airlines are putting profits ahead of safety and it's only a matter of time before there's a major plane crash in Canada.

I've seen some sketchy situations first hand, situations that make me uncomfortable but am powerless to do anything about it because I'm seen as a lowly flight attendant.

Thank-you Hana Gartner for disclosing the disturbing findings of lack of saftey and security at our airports. I hope this show shakes things up and Transport Canada can make the changes needed. The feeling I felt watching this, was mostly disappointment. I thought my country's airports would be the safest in the world.

Diane
Sarnia, Ontario

It is surprising that Minister Baird should boast about having been responsible for introducing Canada's whistleblower legislation, since this has been a dismal failure, thus making our skies less safe.

In 2006 Baird told the Senate that his bill was the best in the world, the "Mount Everest" of whistleblower protection.

Yet after more than two years of operation, with a staff of more than 20 and an annual budget of $6.5 million, the newly-created Integrity Commissioner has discovered not a single case of wrongdoing in the entire federal public service, and not a single case of anyone suffering reprisals for raising concerns. Go figure.

Transport Canada inspectors are fully aware that they have no protection, and that's why most are terrified to speak out. As for private sector employees like pilots, mechanics and air traffic controllers, there is absolutely nothing to protect those who raise concerns about safety violations -- not even the pretense of a whistleblower law nor any commitment to introduce one.

Pity all the honest people in this industry who face the agonizing predicament of having to choose between near-certain career suicide (by speaking out) or turning a blind eye to dangerous practices.

Next thing, Mr. Baird will be telling us that Canada has the best air safety system in the world. He should know better. If he starts calling it the "Mount Everest" of safety systems, it will be time to start travelling by car.

I'm a Canadian living abroad, and almost every time I fly, I find myself thinking, "I really hope they're doing a lot of profiling." I find this in many countries, not just Canada, but as a common destination for me is back to Canada, I see Canadian airports perhaps more than those of other countries. It's truly frightening what I find I can get away with, which is why I hope they're profiling me "low-risk" and ignoring minor things like a bottle half-full of water, my little bottle of hand sanitizer, and the like. Last June was one of my worst trips through Toronto Pearson. I had 2 major complaints, one security-related, one customs-related. For customs, I was carrying 5 kilos of coffee beans as a gift for a friend. I made sure to tell them this. I've worked with invasive species before, and I didn't want to bring anything into Canada that might be damaging to our ecosystem. I didn't exactly expect there to be bugs in my friend's coffee, but I was really hoping someone would at least take a brief search through. No one so much as wanted to glance to make sure I wasn't lying. I bought the coffee at a local market in Indonesia, out of an open bin. The bag it was in wasn't sealed, just the top was folded over and stapled. In my opinion, someone should at least have asked a couple more questions. Even more interesting, for security, this was during the initial swine flu scare, so I was wearing a surgical mask over my mouth and nose. I was one of the only ones in Toronto doing so, although many were in the Asian airports I had travelled through. I transitted through the Toronto airport from Hong Kong to my home airport, going through customs and immigration, and never once did anyone in Toronto ask me to lower the mask so they could verify my identity.
Of course, these are minor examples, but it really starts me thinking. What if they're not doing profiling? What more could I get away with as a terrorist? And the more I think about this, the more I wonder how we haven't managed to see more attacks? And how much longer do we have before our incredible string of luck runs out? Something's gotta give, and hopefully we can convince Transport Canada to be the one to give, rather than more lives sacrificed to the almighty dollar.

I am angry that the government can turn their heads at anyone that comes forward to complain about our security at any airport especially with proof of such. I now wonder if I want to take a chance flying in our country.

Transport Canada must look into all air accidents no matter the cost because in the end the accident rate will decrease if it gets policed properly.

I cant believe that Transport Canada and the Federal Govt are just sitting on their a**es waiting for a crash to happen!

As a 20 year Aircraft Maintenance Engineer I can tell you that Transport Canada is basically a joke when it comes to enforcing their own rules. It is left up to the Mechanic to stand their ground against airline management pressure to let things go. This kind of pressure makes for a very bad work environment and has caused many mechanics to leave the industry all together, and it’s getting worse every day. Transport is sitting back and doing nothing to address these issues, and just turn a blind eye to it all. If you speak up to transport or the company you will be labelled as a trouble maker and risk your job. We are going to have a major accident, it’s just a matter of time, and then it will be brought to light what is happening. I cannot tell you my name as I fear for my job if I did, but I do work for one of Canada's major airlines. Please make this public and don't give up on it. If you fly at all you are flipping a coin every time you get aboard a plane in this country.

Name withheld.

good show

This episode of the Fifth Estate is pure journalistic sensationalism. Anyone who knows anything about security knows that it is not practical to ensure safety 100%. In security, perception is as important as specific measures.

Exposing some of the weaknesses in security is extremely irresponsible of the CBC and places people in danger.

There is no problem with security in Canadian airports and the historical evidence is proof.

Why is the Fifth Estate giving disgruntled employees and grandstanding politicians a soap box in this matter?

This is a disturbing story and places the credibility of the Fifth Estate and their reporters in question.

Mr. Garito was obviously targeted long before he was set-up and arrested. It was a personal vendetta to get him out of the workplace as he was a more diligent inspector than his superiors.

As a former Transport Canada Civil Aviation Safety Inspector (CASI) and industry Quality Assurance Manager I would like to congratulate the Fifth Estate on an accurate presentation of the crisis in Aviation Safety. The traveling public and residents with in Canada’s flight paths should be concerned for their safety. self regulation (Safety Management System or SMS) does not work and Transport Canada is wasting millions of dollars forcing it into regulations.

Economic pressures promote air carriers to take cost effective short cuts that contribute to accidents. Transport Canada calls it “Risk Management” Insufficiently qualified, experienced and “fearful for their jobs” Transport Canada CASI are reluctant to “take a stand”. I did & I was put on the industry “black list”. So much for Transport Canada’s official policy of non-punitive reporting of safety issues under SMS.

As an opening show to your new season it was okay - I've seen better. I think the whole show needs to be revamped, updated with a fresh new look. Find new younger reporters. Are my tax dollars being well spent by the CBC? Not really, but then the same could be said about the Happer government...LOL

Having worked in the aviation industry for over 30 years I was not surprised at the content and allegations in your program. I wish, however that you had included Dr. Robert J. Waldron Phd. in your interviews as he has a wealth of knowledge regarding this subject. Since 1975 Dr. Waldron has personally investigated 600 aircraft accidents and incidents. His company, R.J.Waldron & Company has investigated over 2000 aviation accidents, incidents and failures. Being a non government organization allows him to give an independent perspective.

Government programs taking "oversight" positions and promoting self-regulation in the field is rampant in all levels of government in Canada. Different programs use different terminology, some use "oversight" and some use "mentoring"
Government agencies are breaching the very legislation and regulations that they have been put in place to administer. The management practice of buck passing to the end user asserting that they will "do the right thing" is seriously flawed. The result is the same: "You allow the lid off the cookie jar, they will keep putting in their greedy hands".
This is direct opposition to the current communication spin of Canada taking full credit for their good job over banks. If they had allowed banks to self regulate, I wonder where we would be now.
My team had 18 hospital inspectors, now virtually none.

Your TV show "Riding on Risk" was very interesting and had great entertainment value. I have always enjoyed the fifth estate.
But... As with entertainment in general it must be taken with a grain of salt. At no point in this documentary did I hear reference to the fact that there is “acceptable risk” in any and all human endeavors. Even his honorable John Baird skirted around this fact.
All aircraft on this planet could be grounded and lives still lost. One could walk into a propeller or fall off a wing. The reality is that we the human are susceptible to error. "Accidents" are going to happen no matter how much we regulate the industry.
To go out on a limb and really sound "crazy" there should be an "allowable kill rate" in all industries. As the level of "accidents" rises above the set rate the regulations should be tightened up. Then as the "kill rate" gets below the norm and regulations start choking off the profitability of the industry, regulations should be slackened. Insurance companies run on a variation of this principle, they understand there is risk and charge you for it. (But don’t get me started on a rant about the inherent problems in the insurance industry)
I and every one I know in this Industry strive to keep Aviation as safe a “humanly possible”. As a compassionate person I am deeply sorry for the loss of any lives in this great country of ours. Being employed in the Aviation Industry these are the lives that affect me the most.

John Q Public

thank you for an eye-opener.

Trust our Government? One does not know any more who runs it. Elected officials, corporations, or organized crime?

What could I say in a comment that would add anything to your story.
Excellent! A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Your program was excellent. Its too bad the canadian population has been kept in the dark so long. The corruption at Transport Canada runs deep.. all the way to the top. Its more corrupt than mexican Federales. Unfortunately no one can breath a word. Those wistle blowers that did not want to speak openly are not alone. We all fear retribution. We would lose our livelyhoods. Canadian Aviation ... a sad state of affair. A thankyou to Kirsten stevens for her help in bringing light to the issue, without her we would still be without a voice.

Great work.. Let's see if anybody pays attention or if this story dies with the "News Cycle"

Let this program inspire more whistleblowers to tell their stories, to leak sensitive documents that name names. The whistleblower legislation must change to financially reward whistleblowers [like the whistleblowers in the U.S. who were recently rewarded following the $2.3 billion fine against Pfizer]. Every government employee with something to say needs to know about wikileaks.org

Almost every government department will operate in a manner hinted at in this program and it is the top 3 or so levels of career bureaucrats that need to be accountable to the extent that they lose their jobs AND their pensions, as well as face criminal prosecution.

People need to learn that at best, the prime motive for your government is the inflation of an individuals own personal self image and profit and at worst your government wants you dead. I would encourage whistleblowers to come forward from Health Canada, possibly the most corrupt, bought and paid for, government department.

Remember wikileaks.org, and it seems to have been demonstrated that The Fifth Estate can be trusted.

Why does CBC use almost exclusively video or Air Canada aircraft? As this is an issue with security, and not of a specific airline then why portray one airline as the problem?

Such shocking and disturbing information has been revealed. The disgraceful behaviour of those in charge at Transport Canada is almost unbelievable. It is disgusting to know that those in the top positions of responsibility care so very little for the well being of the Canadian Public. Thank you to the Fifth Estate for your presentation and to all those who came forward to speak out against the wrong doings. I feel sorry for all those who have suffered due to the negligence of Transport Canada. I hope something will soon be done to correct these serious problems. Mr. Baird must feel very proud of himself after tonight's airing! Sir, you really know how to run that department and protect the "whistle blowers". NOT!

Another excellent program. I have no faith in Mr. Baird or Transport Canada to do anything that is in the best interests of the flying public. You need only take a look at the situation with regard to the Federally supported Toronto Port Authority and its relationship with Porter Airlines. The bottom line is money, and where a rule or agreement can be ignored in favour of the bottom line or patronage... it will be. The fox is most certainly watching the hen house.

I don't blame these whistle blowers one bit for their anonymity, just as long as they’re exposing these people we're suppose to trust and pay large salaries to, to protect us. We just had a whistle blower of our own here in London with regards to untendered contracts being awarded to certain companies. It's gotten pretty sick, and these people need to be start being held accountable for their actions with criminal charges being laid.

It's about time that Transport Canada is called on the carpet for their incompetence and outright negligence.

In 1991, Nationair Canada had a fatal crash that killed 261 people. Transport Canada did a Safety Review and not only buried it because it had damning evidence that Nationair was unsafe, but then denied ever doing it.

If TC had been doing their jobs properly, Nationair would never have been allowed to fly an aircraft that was eventually found to be flown in an un-airworthy condition for several days PRIOR to the crash.

If someone from the Fifth Estate cares to contact me, I can point you in the right direction for more info.

As an employee of a major airline, you only touched the
tip of the iceberg,hiring by both airlines and CATSA is
a joke...all for the purpose of saving a dollar and Mr
John Baird is dilusional, the next time he sets foot on
an aircraft he might want to check if that wing is deiced by someone who is trained properly let alone
wonder if all baggage has been screened....I have seen
it all...

Scary but great story Riding On Risk. To your whistle blowers...Bravo for standing up for what you believe in and keep it up. This will not bring your husband back nor your job however on behalf of myself and all Canadian flyers thank you for your tenacity and your integrity. Tell us what we, as ordinary Canadian can do to help.

Well done show. Would have been nice to see more in depth info about screeners and CATSA. IF the show about transport canada has you afraid then you realy do not want to see what goes on behind the scenes with security screeners at canada's airports. It a common discussion among screeners that all we are doing is providing the illusion of security to the travelling public, but if a terrorist really wants to get a bomb past us....they wont be stopped....unfortunetly its just a matter of time

Why is it that government and industry care about short-term profits and self/less regulations. This kind of attitudes is what caused this current recession and the same applies to airport security. We shouldn't have to sacrifice lives and safety for just short-term profits or otherwise we'll pay for the costs in the long-term such as deaths, high health care costs, decreased consumer confidence in aviation etc....

When we go to a restaurant in Toronto, we can see in the window a dated inspection report giving the safety status of the place. Why is it that we can't see such a report on the airplanes when we board them? When were they inspected and what did they find??

I moved out to Kelowna B.C. 4 years ago. Since then, I have flown in and out of Toronto Pearson airport anywhere from two to four times a year. Not only was I distressed about the findings of this report, I am severely disappointed with our government for not only ignoring the warning signs, but attempting to bully their Transport Canada staff into covering up these issues and conditions within our airports. I would personally like a response from not only the head of Transport Canada, but Prime Minister Harper (who I supported in this election), what plans will be put in place to change the direction of these extremely serious offences. Not only do they owe Canadians an apology, but also what intentions they have of solving these allegations. Now when I travel into the United States, I feel more protected than when I am in Canada! This is a sad day when we cannot trust the security that does not even exist.

If this report tonight is shown to prove that airport security is inadequate then I have no intention on paying anymore security charges on flights and/or not taking any airlines trips whatsoever.

These "companies or goverment" have to choose, airport security or short-term profit for long-term pain.