Transportation Safety Board flags 78 outstanding recommendations

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) says 78 safety recommendations remain outstanding across the country's transportation system, after its latest annual assessment closed zero recommendations in the rail and marine sectors and just one in air, the board announced earlier this week.

The TSB's assessment, released alongside a statement from chair Yoan Marier, found that while 84 per cent of responses to TSB recommendations since 1990 have been rated Fully Satisfactory, the outstanding 78 point to unresolved risk across Canada's rail, marine and air modes. Most recommendations were issued to Transport Canada, though some went to other bodies, including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and NAV Canada.

"Some of the recommendations highlighted in this year's assessment stem from investigations that occurred nearly a decade ago," Marier said in the TSB's release. "While we recognize that in some areas progress has been made, meaningful action is still needed to address longstanding safety deficiencies and reduce the risk of future accidents."

Rail and marine sectors see no progress

Of 27 air recommendation responses assessed in 2025-26, only one, requiring Transport Canada to ensure instrument-rated pilots maintain proficiency, was closed as Fully Satisfactory. None of the eight rail recommendations reviewed and none of the 22 marine recommendations reviewed were closed.

The board also downgraded its rating on Recommendation R22-04, which calls on Transport Canada to expedite enhanced train control (ETC) systems capable of automatically intervening when crews fail to respond to signals, to Unsatisfactory. A related 2025 recommendation calling for interim safety measures while ETC is rolled out could not be assessed at all.

Marier said Transport Canada appears to have abandoned its own timeline for the technology. "It seems like Transport Canada has kind of moved away from their 2030 deadline for implementation that they had previously published," he said. "So it seems we're looking at an even longer timeline than what Transport Canada initially put forward. It's not a good sign. But from our end, we are keeping the pressure on to make sure that this is implemented in the future. Realistically, we're still looking at many years until this is put in place."

Fishing vessel safety recommendation declined

Marier said fishing vessel safety sits at the top of the TSB's outstanding marine file. "At the top of my list are the recommendations pertaining to fishing vessel safety," he said. "The recommendations we issued about stability for smaller vessels, about stability awareness, about the importance of also assessing and tracking major modifications on ships."

Among those is Recommendation M16-03, which calls for mandatory stability assessments for small commercial fishing vessels, a safety issue the TSB has linked to multiple fatal incidents. Transport Canada told the TSB it does not intend to amend its regulations to require the assessments, and the board rated that response Unsatisfactory.

Marier said the disagreement is not unprecedented. "Sometimes Transport Canada will agree with us and put some actions forward, and other times the department will disagree on our perspective or on our assessment of the risks," he said. "We have seen recommendations where initially Transport Canada said they would not move ahead with the changes, and a couple of years down the road, they changed their mind and decided to do it. So they say that now, but things can change. For us, we're still going to keep it at the top of the list of priorities."

A recommendation three decades in the making

Asked to identify one of the oldest unresolved files, Marier pointed to Recommendation M9509, issued in 1995, which called on Transport Canada to require that all ship officers be trained in bridge resource management, the communication and situational-awareness skills needed to safely operate a vessel's bridge.

"It's still active. We were waiting for amendments to the Marine Personnel Regulations, which got delayed many, many times," Marier said. "So this recommendation is still considered unsatisfactory." He added that the file is not typical of the broader list. "To be fair, it's not the majority of the outstanding recommendations that are that old. Most of them are more recent, but still, it's an example of one that has been outstanding for a while."

Transport Canada points to continued progress

In a statement, Transport Canada said it is encouraged by the assessment and pointed to recommendations closed as Fully Satisfactory in prior cycles. "Transport Canada shares the Transportation Safety Board of Canada's commitment to advancing the safety of Canada's transportation system. We are encouraged that this year's assessment recognizes continued progress in addressing TSB recommendations, including additional recommendations that have now been assessed as Fully Satisfactory and closed."

Transport Canada said it reviews every TSB recommendation and responds within the timelines set out under the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act, adding the department "continues to work with the TSB, industry and other stakeholders to implement effective measures that reduce transportation safety risks."

The characterization of steady progress sits alongside a review that closed only one of 57 combined rail, marine and air recommendations assessed this cycle, and downgraded at least one rail recommendation to Unsatisfactory, underscoring the gap between the two organizations' read on the pace of change.