As Vancouver welcomes visitors from around the world for FIFA World Cup events, airport screening officers are raising questions about who is truly accountable for Canada’s airport security screening system.
Screening officers are proud to welcome travellers to Vancouver and remain committed to providing safe, professional, and efficient service. But frontline workers believe the public deserves a broader conversation about who is accountable for the system that screens millions of passengers a year.
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) is responsible for screening services across Canada. In practice, that work is carried out by private contractors, creating a gap between who sets policy and who answers for it when something goes wrong on the ground.
“Canadians deserve to know who is accountable when problems occur,” said Dave Flowers, IAM Union District 140 President and Directing General Chairperson. “When passengers face long wait times, staffing shortages, or service disruptions, that responsibility lies with the system CATSA designed and oversees.”
For years, screening officers have raised concerns about staffing and retention, growing operational pressures at checkpoints, and rising demands tied to evolving screening requirements. They’ve also pointed to attendance policies that undermine workforce stability, and to CATSA’s failure to meaningfully engage with the IAM, the union representing screening officers.
With the world watching Vancouver during FIFA events, screening officers say now is the time to ask whether the current contractor-based model is delivering the best possible outcome for travellers, workers, and taxpayers alike.
Screening officers are not calling for service disruptions or job action. They’re calling for a public conversation about how the system is managed and who is ultimately responsible for making it work.
“Airport screening officers are proud of the work they do every day,” said Flowers. “We believe the people doing that work should have a real voice in shaping its future.”
For media inquiries:
Dave Flowers
President and Directing General Chairperson
IAM District 140
dflowers@iam140.ca
