Airport Security in Canada

SANDIE RINALDO: Now to an exclusive and disturbing report on the state of airport security in this country. Although more than half a billion dollars has been spent on improving it since 9/11, there are serious gaps that could be exploited by terrorists. This conclusion is contained in two in depth reports presented to the government last month. The findings were not made public, but CTV's Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife obtained copies.

ROBERT FIFE (Reporter): Flying is a hassle these days with increased security.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Especially when they're asking me to check in my hand lotion and my water.

FIFE: All the result of 9/11. But are Canadians secure? Two independent reviews raise troubling concerns. The Canadian Air Transportation Security Authority was set up after 9/11 to oversee airport security. It now checks all passenger baggage, but there remains a major gap.

REG WHITAKER (Chairman Aviation Security Panel): There?s a very large percentage, about 70 percent of air cargo is carried on passenger planes and it's not properly screened. There's no question about that.

FIFE: Suitcases with explosives hidden in the cargo hold caused the 1985 Air India disaster. The panel says Canada needs to screen all cargo as the British are doing. An idea endorsed by travelers.

SUSAN BARBERSTOCK (Traveller): They check us so many times, and why isn't everything under the same scrutiny?

FIFE: The panel report also warned terrorists could take advantage of virtually non-existent screening of executive jets and chartered flights.

WHITAKER: Some of these are quite large planes and, you know, we know from 9/11 that, you know, take a large plane and use it as weapon. So we think they should be screened.

FIFE: The Auditor General recently criticized airport screening and said the agency is chronically understaffed and can't keep experienced security personnel. The federal government insists Canadians should not be alarmed.

LAWRENCE CANNON (Transport Minister): No, no, Canadians need not to be worried. There?s over what, 70 million passengers on a yearly basis who are screened in all our airports. No, we have an excellent system.

FIFE: The Transport Minister says he's reviewing the two reports to improve airport security. And he says the government is working on a plan to eventually screen all air cargo. Sandie?

RINALDO: Bob, why is it taking so long? Why is Ottawa working on plans instead of implementing plans?

FIFE: Partly money and partly bureaucratic inertia. But, Sandie, this report says there's no excuse for this major security gap. The British are screening all air cargo, and the Americans plan to spend $2 billion to do the same thing. All Canada has done so far is to allocate $26 million to a pilot project, and this report says this is a grave security risk and it's worried about how long it's going to take before Canada gets its act together.

RINALDO: And is screening for cargo just the beginning? Is there more?

FIFE: Well it's very concerned about these long line-ups at airports. They say we need better equipment to be able to get people through faster because this amounts to a security risk. It says we need new technology to be able to detect liquid explosives, and of course we need better training and better pay for our screening officers.

RINALDO: Thank you, Bob. CTV's Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife.

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