OTTAWA, Ontario—Transport Canada will soon be engaging in a series of nationwide consultations with people and organizations interested in the upcoming Air Carrier Security Measures (ACSMs) and the Security Measures Respecting Air Cargo (SMRAC) acts.
The essence of both of these measures is to require air carriers and freight forwarders to fully screen and secure air cargo. Carriers are expected to achieve 100 percent screening compliance by January 1, 2014. Full details about the two measures, however, are unavailable to the general public.
According to Transport Canada, “these security measures are security-sensitive under the Aeronautics Act, which means that the actual measures are not public documents and are given, on a need-to-know basis, to stakeholders responsible for using them.”
Although preparations have already been made for these measures to be enacted, the federal government still wants to hear the industry’s thoughts about them. In particular, it wants to discuss a proposed regulatory framework that will include standards and operational guidelines.
To that end, the government has scheduled public hearings across the nation throughout September and October. They will begin in Ottawa on September 6 and end in Montreal on October 4. A full listing of dates and times is available on the Transport Canada website.
For people not able to attend in person, the government is accepting e-mailed submissions.
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