Airport security blasted

[MarkOttawa]

And the Liberal government was just as culpable.

Committee urges airport security overhaul
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070321.wairport0321/BNStory/Front/home

The Department of Public Safety should take over airport security and conduct a daily search of every person working in proximity to planes because changes since 9/11 have been “few and far between”, says a Senate committee.

The all-party security and defence committee said Wednesday its damning four-year-old report calling for security changes had been met with “vagueness, obfuscation, non-response and seemingly endless procrastination” within government.

Now, the committee is urging that Transport Canada be relieved of its duties, and the onus of airport security be handed to the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.

“So many of the gaping security holes we drew attention to in 2003 are still gaping holes more than four years later,” the report states...

The Department of Public Safety should take over airport security and conduct a daily search of every person working in proximity to planes because changes since 9/11 have been “few and far between”, says a Senate committee.

The all-party security and defence committee said Wednesday its damning four-year-old report calling for security changes had been met with “vagueness, obfuscation, non-response and seemingly endless procrastination” within government.

Now, the committee is urging that Transport Canada be relieved of its duties, and the onus of airport security be handed to the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.

“So many of the gaping security holes we drew attention to in 2003 are still gaping holes more than four years later,” the report states...

I quite agree about the performance of Transport Canada officials when appearing at the committee.  See this guest-post at Daimnation!:

How not to improve airport security
http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/007822.html

The report itself is here:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/39/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/defe-e/rep-e/repmar07-e.pdf

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Spartan]

Funny, my professor has been arguing for improved airport security since 1976. And has lectured to and advised Transport Canada (and all variations of guards since then). And the book he wrote on the subject continues to be validated and current today.
But hey, why listen to experts in the know....

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Well one of my co-workers just won a position as a inspector for airport security, so they are trying to staff up, but TC is suffering with many retiree's and no succesion planning..

 

[geo]

Mark....
The fact that the Liberal gov't before this one, and the Conservative one before them were just as bad ... makes no difference.

The Conservatives have been in the driver's seat for +/- a year... time for them to take the heat.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

one year is not much time to create an effect on the ground, by the time you draft up a plan, get through the works and begin to implement it, a year will seem like a short span.

 

[geo]

Colin - not dissagreeing with you BUT, that's pert much as long a break as any gov't in power has ever had...