CANADA: Government clarifies proposed legislation on revised limits to foreign ownership in air carriers

Thursday November 10 2016

On 3 November, 2016, the Minister of Transport, announced that the Government of Canada intends to introduce legislation that would raise the limit of international ownership of Canadian air carriers’ voting interests to 49 per cent, up from a ceiling of 25 per cent, with accompanying safeguards.

Following this announcement, Transport Canada wishes to clarify the scope of the proposed legislative change. The Government of Canada proposes to liberalise international ownership limits that would apply to all carriers, including those providing all-cargo services. Under the Government’s proposal, the only persons exempt from these new limits would be operators providing specialty air services, who would remain subject to the current 25 per cent limit.

The Canada Transportation Act defines a carrier to be “a person who is engaged in the transport of goods or passengers by any means of transport under the legislative authority of Parliament.”

Please click the link at the top of the page for the Government announcement.