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The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is the premier forum for co-operation in all fields of civil aviation among its 193 member states and international civil aviation stakeholders. Canada is proud host to this United Nations specialized agency in Montréal.
Marc Garneau, minister of Transport, and François-Philippe Champagne, minister of Foreign Affairs, announced the appointment of Capt Claude Hurley as Canada’s new permanent representative to ICAO, effective immediately.
ICAO was created to promote the safe and orderly development of civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations and develops guidance material touching on a number of important aspects of the global aviation sector, including safety, security, sustainable economic growth and environmental standards.
Hurley, a professional pilot, most recently served as the president for ICAO’s Air Navigation Commission, the organization’s primary technical body. He has been Canada’s nominee to the Air Navigation Commission since 2014. Prior to his assignment at ICAO, Hurley worked in Transport Canada’s Civil Aviation directorate, providing oversight of air operators, flight training units and aerodromes. As a pilot with over 30 years of experience, he has worked in a variety of international settings. He also served as an officer and pilot in the Canadian Armed Forces, where he participated in flight operations for peacekeeping missions.
“As a founding member and leading contributor to ICAO, Canada has been the proud host state since 1947, and is fully committed to ICAO’s success. We value the important role ICAO plays in coordinating the global response to new opportunities and challenges in civil aviation, and we welcome every opportunity to make a contribution. It is my pleasure to congratulate Capt Claude Hurley on his new position. He is an outstanding candidate and I look forward to working closely with him in the years ahead,” said Garneau.
“I am delighted to welcome Capt Claude Hurley as Canada’s new permanent representative to ICAO. Over the years, Canada has worked with ICAO to promote international civil aviation around the world. Today, travellers and shippers can be confident in the extremely high levels of safety and security in the aviation industry, and that is due in no small part to the international collaboration that ICAO facilitates,” added Champagne.
Typical pats on the back from government appointed individuals sharing ICAO screw ups, that came out with the Famous Safety Management System that was adopted by Transport Canada Aviation and the FAA.
Transport downloaded the SMS to the operators and expected them to adopt to it’s principals without auditing them,except after an accident and then that was left up to Aviation Safety Board.
I know of at least fourteen (14) people that have been killed in the last four years due to their ineptitude. (RIP)
FAA was even worse with the SMS, they allowed Boeing to certify their own work, because ICAO said it was alright, they exceeded TCA by killing (600) people. (RIP)
The whole system of ICAO needs to be overhauled as does Transport Canada and the Federal Aviation Authority.
There are far to many incompetent people in governments making decisions on behalf of the travelling PUBLIC.
I have over 15,000 hr as a commercial Pilot and Aircraft Maintenance Engineer and held every job in the industry over fifty years.
I worked for PWGSC for thirteen (13) years as a Senior Contract Manager/Technical Officer in the aircraft Charter Section.
While I was with the government, I was trained as follows:
Contracting Procedures, KPMG ISO, Transport Canada Auditing Procedures Course.
Operational Risk Management, Director Of Safety course’s taken at the California Safety Institute.
Other than politics or outright patronage how the Hell else can it be explained.
I do believe a REFERENDUM should be held to make Transport Canada a Crown Corporation as was NavCanada, I worked on that file, Transport Canada wanted to privatize (600 page rfp) it.
After consulting with the insurance companies, who would have nothing to do with it, the RFP was cancelled.