Should More Port Workers Need Security Clearances?

Official title: Options to expand Transportation Security Clearance requirements

Closed Regulations & Permits Justice & Rights Transportation
Transport Canada asked whether security clearance requirements should expand to more port and marine facility workers across Canada. Right now, only certain roles need clearances. This consultation explored extending that to traditional occupations at ports nationwide.

Why This Matters

Work at a port or know someone who does? New security clearance rules could affect who gets hired and how long it takes to start work. Background checks add time and paperwork. For workers with past criminal records, this could mean losing access to jobs they've held for years.

What Could Change

More port workers may need to pass security background checks before they can work. This could include longshoremen, maintenance staff, and other traditional port occupations. New regulations would set out which roles require clearances and what the screening process looks like.

Key Issues

  • Which port occupations should require security clearances?
  • Should clearance requirements apply to all Canadian ports or only some?

How to Participate

  1. This consultation has closed. It ran for 60 days and included both online feedback through the Let's Talk Transportation portal and in-person sessions with port authorities, labour groups, and employers.

What Happened

The 60-day consultation gathered feedback from stakeholders including port authorities, labour groups, and employer representatives through both online and in-person engagement sessions.