Canada's transport minister knew last spring the federal airport security workforce was short-staffed by 25%, according to a briefing note. Omar Alghabra at the time blamed airport delays on Canadians eager to travel..Staff in a May 13 briefing note Airport And Flight Delays told Alghabra the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority was short a quarter of its employees due to COVID layoffs. “The Authority retained 75% of its workforce during the pandemic to assist with recovery,” wrote staff. “Screening contractors called back all available personnel in preparation for the summer peak.”.Blacklock's Reporter said Alghabra at the time made no mention of short staffing in explaining delays for air travelers. “We are witnessing delays across all sectors of our economy that are a result of increasing demand imbalance,” he told the House of Commons on May 6..“We are seeing an increased demand and appetite for people who want to travel,” Alghabra said June 6. “The supply is trying to catch up.”.Short-staffing in airport security was first publicly disclosed June 7 in testimony by Security Authority managers at the Senate national finance committee. “The problem at the airports today and specifically the busiest airports in Canada relates to the labour market and the staffing of screening officer positions by our third party screening contractors,” testified Nancy Filchett, vice president of the Security Authority. “At this time it is not a funding problem.”.“Does that mean we have a shortage?” asked Senator Éric Forest (Que.). “What is the staff shortage to reach pre-pandemic levels?”.“Before the pandemic we had about 7400 screening officers,” testified Kelsey MacTavish, senior director of operations. “Right now we have 6800 and recruitment is ongoing. In the year to come we’re trying to recruit 1000 screening officers.”.The Liberals have not explained why they failed to hire more security staff last winter as travel restrictions eased. Alghabra in a statement Friday said continued disruptions in air travel were unacceptable..“It is never acceptable to make passengers sleep on the floor of an airport as a result of a delayed or cancelled flight,” said the transport minister..The House of Commons transport committee is preparing to question Alghabra over travel disruptions. “The Minister should address the critical issues facing our airports so Canadians can understand if the government is doing anything to fix the mess and not simply waiting out the height of peak travel season in an effort to further abdicate their responsibility,” Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, Ont.) told the committee August 8.
