Canada to speed up cargo screening

As Canada celebrates its birthday today, the nation’s transportation regulatory agency, Transport Canada, has announced that it has streamlined its air cargo screening requirements to enhance efficiency of the overall supply chain.

Yesterday, Lisa Raitt, Canada’s Minister of Transport, said “approved shippers” will now be able to screen airfreight at any point in the secure supply chain, from the point at which it is packaged to the moment before it is loaded on an aircraft. By giving shippers the flexibility to perform screening wherever it makes the most sense for their operations, the new rules should help reduce bottlenecks and speed up the movement of cargo without any loss of security, the agency said.

“These new regulations will allow for the secure, timely and efficient flow of goods by air, while aligning Canada’s Air Cargo Security Program with those of its U.S. and international trading partners,” Raitt said. The regulations, she added, are scheduled to become effective on Oct. 17, 2016.

Approved shippers, in this case, can include manufacturers, retailers, agents, freight forwarders, couriers and carriers, Raitt said. To become an approved shipper, these companies must undergo a rigorous application process with Transport Canada and, if approved, will be subject to continued oversight and enforcement.

According to Transport Canada, the nation’s airfreight exports and imports were estimated to be worth C$111 billion in 2013, and about 8 percent of revenues for Canadian air carriers came from air cargo.