The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) 2011 - A11F0012 flight ACA878 from Toronto, Ontario, to Zurich, Switzerland

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigated this occurrence for the purpose of advancing transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

Aviation Investigation Report
Pitch Excursion
Air Canada
Boeing 767–333, C–GHLQ
North Atlantic Ocean, 55°00'N 029°00'W
14 January 2011
Report Number A11F0012

Synopsis

The Air Canada Boeing 767–333 (registration C–GHLQ, serial number 30846) was operating as flight ACA878 from Toronto, Ontario, to Zurich, Switzerland. Approximately halfway across the Atlantic, during the hours of darkness, the aircraft experienced a 46–second pitch excursion. This resulted in an altitude deviation of minus 400 feet to plus 400 feet from the assigned altitude of 35 000 feet above sea level. Fourteen passengers and 2 flight attendants were injured. The seatbelt sign had been selected "on" approximately 40 minutes prior to the pitch excursion. The flight continued to destination whereupon 7 passengers were sent to hospital and were later released.
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Other factual information

History of flight

Air Canada flight 878 (ACA878) departed Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Ontario (CYYZ), on 13 January 2011 at 2138 ¹ with 95 passengers, 6 flight attendants and 2 flight crew. The planned routing was north of the North Atlantic Organized Track System (OTS) on a random track ² in order to avoid forecast turbulence associated with the jet stream. The captain had elected to use the centre line option as per the strategic lateral offset procedures ³ (SLOP) in the Air Canada Flight Operations Manual (FOM).

Controlled rest—Air Canada FOM, Section 2.9.10 —Alertness Management, describes controlled rest as an operational fatigue countermeasure that improves on–the–job performance and alertness when compared to non–countermeasure conditions. Controlled rest uses strategic napping on the flight deck to improve crew alertness during critical phases of flight. The rest periods are a maximum of 40 minutes in length (periods to be reviewed prior to resting) and must be completed 30 minutes prior to the top of descent. The In–Charge Flight Attendant must be advised that controlled rest will be taking place and instructed to call the flight deck at a specific time. Upon conclusion of the rest period, unless required due to an abnormal or emergency situation, the awakened pilot should be provided at least 15 minutes without any flight duties to become fully awake before resuming normal duties. An operational briefing shall follow.

At 0040, the first officer (FO) expressed the need for a rest. The captain agreed and the FO commenced a controlled rest. The in–charge flight attendant (IC) was not advised.
Shortly after the start of the controlled rest, the captain increased the lighting on the flight deck to review aircraft manuals in preparation for upcoming training. This type of reading was in accordance with Air Canada standard operating procedures.
At 0118, the captain turned on the seatbelt sign in anticipation of the turbulence forecast for the area. An announcement by the IC was made to remind passengers that the seatbelt sign was now on and that they were to remain seated with their seatbelts secured. ⁴ Up to this point, there had been no turbulence; after the event, it was light to nil.
In response to the seatbelt sign being turned on, the flight attendants made a visual inspection of the passengers for compliance; the majority were asleep. Many of the passengers in economy were lying down across the centre 3 seats. Business class featured the lay–flat seats with seatbelts equipped with air bags, and the majority of those passengers were also lying down and appeared to be asleep.
At 0155, the captain made a mandatory position report with the Shanwick Oceanic control centre. This aroused the FO. The FO had rested for 75 minutes but reported not feeling altogether well. Coincidentally, an opposite–direction United States Air Force Boeing C–17 at 34 000 feet appeared as a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) target on the navigational display (ND). The captain apprised the FO of this traffic.
Over the next minute or so, the captain adjusted the map scale on the ND in order to view the TCAS target ⁵ and occasionally looked out the forward windscreen to acquire the aircraft visually. The FO initially mistook the planet Venus for an aircraft but the captain advised again that the target was at the 12 o'clock position and 1000 feet below. The captain of ACA878 and the oncoming aircraft crew flashed their landing lights. The FO continued to scan visually for the aircraft. When the FO saw the oncoming aircraft, the FO interpreted its position as being above and descending towards them. The FO reacted to the perceived imminent collision by pushing forward on the control column. The captain, who was monitoring TCAS target on the ND, observed the control column moving forward and the altimeter beginning to show a decrease in altitude. The captain immediately disconnected the autopilot and pulled back on the control column to regain altitude. It was at this time the oncoming aircraft passed beneath ACA878. The TCAS did not produce a traffic or resolution advisory.
During the pitch excursion, the aircraft pitch changed from the cruise attitude of 2 degrees nose up, to 6 degrees nose down followed by a return to 2 degrees nose up. The vertical acceleration forces (g) went to −0.5 g to +2.0 g in 5 seconds. Computed airspeed increased 7 knots then decreased 14 knots before recovering to cruise speed with the aircraft's altitude decreasing to 34 600 feet increasing to 35 400 feet and finally recovering to 35 000 feet.
No one in business class had been displaced and/or injured during the event. When the IC walked into economy, it became apparent that there were passengers and crew injured from contacting cabin fixtures and armrests and the IC began to arrange for first aid. Two medical professionals identified themselves and provided assistance to the cabin crew. Once an assessment of injuries had been made, the IC advised the captain and a satellite phone link was established with Air Canada flight operations to advise of the situation and to establish a phone link with a physician trained in assessing injuries and illnesses encountered during flight. After coordinating through Air Canada dispatch, and speaking directly to the physician, the captain directed the IC to speak directly with those injured. Based on the information received from the injured, the physician's assessment, the enroute weather and a number of other factors, the decision was made that it was acceptable to continue to destination. Medical services were readied in Zurich for the arrival of ACA878.
The total number of passengers who were not seated with their seatbelts fastened is unknown. None of the passengers in business class was injured. The 14 passengers who were seen for their injuries were all located in economy in various locations (Appendix A). One injured flight attendant was in the rear galley, the other in a lavatory. All injuries were of the soft tissue variety, and a few of the injured sustained lacerations.
A pilot dead–heading to Zurich (to serve as relief pilot for the return flight) was on the flight. After the captain was informed of the injuries, a request was made to have this pilot sit on the flight deck to monitor the flight and assist as required. The remainder of the flight was uneventful. The flight was met by medical help upon arrival at Zurich. Within 20 minutes, all injuries were assessed and passengers were either released or sent to hospital for further observation.

Flight crew

Records indicate that the flight crew were certified and qualified for the flight in accordance with existing regulations. The captain had over 30 years of experience at Air Canada and 14 800 hours total flight time including just over 400 hours pilot–in–command on type since qualifying as captain on the Boeing 767 in the spring of 2010. The FO had 24 years in aviation, the last 14 years at Air Canada, with 12 000 hours total flight time including approximately 2 000 hours on the Boeing 767 in the previous 4 years.
It was normal for both the captain and the FO to sleep at night. During the days leading up to the occurrence, the captain had not been working but had had a cold so slept longer than usual (12 hours instead of 10 hours). On the day of departure, the captain rose at approximately 0800 feeling recovered. The captain then performed a 6.5–hour commute from Florida to Toronto via aircraft. The captain obtained approximately 90 minutes of prone rest in the flight operations pilot rest facility before reporting for duty feeling well rested. This facility is a quiet room equipped with beds to permit prone rest.
Before he had children, the FO's normally slept 8 hours per night. After having children, the FO normally slept approximately 6 to 7 hours per night, between 2300 and 0600, which could often be interrupted when the children required care. Often, the FO would take a nap early in the afternoon for an hour in an attempt to make up for lost sleep. The FO followed a normal sleep pattern during the 2 non–working days prior to the occurrence. The night before the occurrence, the FO was able to obtain nearly 8 hours of rest with some child care interruptions before waking at approximately 0600. The FO took a 2–hour nap in the afternoon before reporting for duty feeling well rested.
Both crew members checked in at the required time of 1935 and the aircraft pushed back at 2109. ACA878 landed in Zurich at 0505 and was at the gate at 0509 for a total flight time of 8 hours and 4 minutes, which was 9 minutes longer than scheduled.

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Evening–departure flights to european destinations: fatigue issues

Fatigue reduces performance levels and increases the desire to obtain sleep. This effect is magnified during circadian lows ⁶, which are encountered by people who normally sleep at night and work during the day (diurnal). For example, North American pilots flying eastward at night across the Atlantic experience circadian lows that magnify performance decrements and increase desire to sleep.
Night flights from North America to Europe have an inherent risk of fatigue for North American–based pilots. Most of these pilots fly a small number of night–time legs per month and revert to sleeping at night when not working. The circadian system of pilots who fly only a small number of night–time legs will not adapt to working at night ⁷, and these pilots are likely to display performance decrements during the night–time legs ⁸ in spite of any countermeasures.
To counter fatigue, some pilots will try to nap before a night–time leg. While this can be helpful in some cases, it cannot prevent fatigue in all pilots. Moreover, it is not always possible to obtain an adequate amount of good quality sleep during the day ⁹ and, coupled with a small number of night–time legs, performance decrements will persist.
In addition, these types of flights are characterized by long periods of darkness with few operational demands while mid–Atlantic, creating inherently soporific conditions ¹⁰. It is not until the flight approaches the coast of Europe at dawn that pilots experience reduced sleepiness as the daylight and circadian rhythms start to alleviate some of the fatigue. Nonetheless, the high workload requirements of approach and landing have to be borne at a time when there is a significant risk of pilot fatigue.
Pilots must develop strategies in advance to manage their fatigue effectively. Planning related to trans–Atlantic flights typically takes place during the early evening when diurnal pilots experience a circadian high. In such cases it may be difficult for pilots to assess their readiness to undertake the entire flight based on their subjective assessment of their alertness or sleepiness immediately prior to the flight and instead rely on their personal assessment of the adequacy of their pre–flight sleep regime.

Fatigue risk management

Transport Canada outlines a series of defences in its Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) for the Canadian aviation industry. ¹¹ While not targeted specifically to flight operations, it provides a useful benchmark from which a review of fatigue management at Air Canada can be made. This is similar to the FRMS framework that was under development at the time of the occurrence by ICAO for flight operations. ¹² The defences include

• creating sufficient opportunity for sleep (Canadian Aviation Regulations, crew scheduling, etc.);
• obtaining sufficient sleep (employee actions, on–going assessment);
• monitoring for fatigue while on duty (symptom checklists, self–reporting);
• fatigue based error mitigation (for instance caffeine, controlled rest, relief pilots, error reporting);
• fatigue based occurrence analysis (safety management system [SMS]–based incident and accident analysis); and
• fatigue training and awareness program.

Some of these are explored below.
In an effort to address fatigue risks, the Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council formed a Flight Crew Fatigue Management Working Group in September 2010 to make recommendations regarding the flight time and duty time limitations and rest period regulations based on the science that underpins the FRMS. Fourteen meetings were held; the last was in December 2011. Transport Canada summarized the process so far:

The Co–chairs have begun the process of writing the report of the working group. The report will summarize the science, harmonization, and operational experience associated with each issue discussed. It will include recommendations from the working group, where consensus was found, and recommendations from the Co–chairs where there was no consensus of the working group. One area of consensus was the effect of circadian rhythms on the length of the flight duty period. The longest duration flight duty period available would start from between 0700 and 1200, and the shortest duration flight duty period available would start from between 2300 and 0430 am [sic] – accounting for the window of circadian low and the generally reduced performance during this period.

Crew scheduling at Air Canada

From a carrier's point of view, crew scheduling involves the need to ensure that all flights have qualified crews while minimizing labour costs and complying with a wide variety of constraints governed by safety regulations and labour contracts. For crews under bid systems such as those at Air Canada, earnings and convenience also play a role in crew scheduling.
While crew scheduling aims to address the employer's role to provide work conditions that allow employees to accrue sufficient rest, employees are obligated to make appropriate use of that rest time and report fit for duty. ¹³
Neither the Canadian Aviation Regulations nor Air Canada makes specific accommodations to account for the particular risks associated with operating overnight flights during a circadian low.
Air Canada, with its pilot association, has a mechanism to review crew pairings (flights) that pilots may consider to be onerous. The occurrence flight, at the time of the occurrence, had not been brought forward as a concern under this mechanism.

Monitoring for fatigue

The aim of fatigue monitoring is to identify a pilot who appears to be in a fatigued state and take appropriate actions before an error occurs. While Air Canada provides information concerning the causes and effects of fatigue, it does not provide procedures or information concerning the identification of fatigued colleagues through observation of symptoms. Currently there is no “fit to fly” checklist ¹⁴ to enable employees to self–monitor or monitor others in order to identify effectively crew members who may not be sufficiently alert to perform their duties.

Fatigue–based error mitigation

Air Canada training on fatigue management outlines several strategies for mitigating fatigue in order to reduce the likelihood of errors, such as exercise, social interaction and caffeine. Two specific strategies— controlled rest and the use of relief pilots—are described in more detail below.

Controlled rest

Controlled rest is the strategic use of short naps on the flight deck to improve crew alertness during critical phases of flight. Research has shown that this improves on–the–job performance compared with non–countermeasure conditions. ¹⁵ This approach has been adopted by 17 air carriers in Canada and several airlines around the world such as British Airways, Qantas, Air New Zealand and Emirates. The approach was adopted by Transport Canada in 1996 and is specified in CAR 700.23 and Commercial Air Services Standards (CASS) 720.23. Authorization for Air Canada to conduct controlled rest was granted by Transport Canada on 13 June 2005.
At Air Canada, the in–charge flight attendant must be advised that controlled rest will be taking place and must be instructed to call the flight deck at a specific time ¹⁶. The rest periods are a maximum of 40 minutes in length and must be completed 30 minutes prior to the commencement of descent.
Upon conclusion of the rest period, the awakened pilot should be provided at least 15 minutes without any flight duties to become fully awake before resuming normal duties, unless required to do so due to an abnormal or emergency situation. Following the 15–minute wakening period, an operational briefing must be given.
This is designed to ensure that the rest is taken in a manner that minimizes risks to the flight. This includes

• ensuring that rest is only undertaken during portions of the flight that are anticipated to be low risk and do not require actions by the resting pilot;
• the period of sleep is not so long that the pilot is likely to suffer from sleep inertia;
• the cabin attendant enters the cockpit after the rest period to ensure that both pilots are not asleep; and
• sufficient time is provided for the wakening pilot to recover from the sleep.

Relief pilot

Transport Canada recognizes a relief pilot as a pilot who is fully trained to the successful completion of a pilot proficiency check on the aircraft type and utilized solely for the purpose of providing flight relief for the captain or FO in order to extend flight deck duty times. Transport Canada issues individual type ratings for relief pilots for aircraft that require a minimum of 2 flight crew. These type ratings come with a restriction indicating that a relief pilot may relieve a member of the flight crew only while the aircraft is in cruise. The relief pilot must have a Commercial or Airline Transport Pilot Licence with a Group 1 instrument rating.
At Air Canada, relief pilots are trained to the FO standard and possess Airline Transport Pilot Licences. They are issued the aircraft type rating without the relief pilot restriction.
Relief pilots are used at Air Canada according to the terms of the collective agreement. In the case of ACA878, a relief pilot is not required where the maximum flight time is 9 hours and the duty day maximum is 11 hours. In this occurrence, the scheduled flight time for ACA878 was 7 hours 55 minutes and a duty day of 9 hours 25 minutes. For the return flight, ACA879, the scheduled flight time was 9 hours 5 minutes and a duty day of 10 hours 35 minutes. In that instance the flight time exceeded 9 hours and a relief pilot was required to work the flight. To comply with this agreement, a relief pilot dead–headed on flight ACA878 in order to work the return flight ACA879.
By using a relief pilot, flight crews may obtain a higher quality of rest by removing themselves from the flight deck and obtaining longer periods of rest time.

Reporting and analysing fatigue–based errors

At Air Canada, there are several methods through which flight crew can communicate various concerns during flight operations. For safety of flight issues, the Aviation Safety Report (ASR) is used to capture occurrences for analysis by the flight safety department under Air Canada's SMS; the ASR does not specifically identify fatigue on the form. A Flight Crew Report (FCR) is used to address administrative and contractual issues. In addition to these reporting streams, the Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) has a form specific to capturing fatigue–related issues.
In the calendar year 2010, the Air Canada SMS database system contained no ASRs related to fatigue; in particular, there were none for the eastbound European flights that departed in the evening. Conversely, the FCR system contained 5 reports pertaining to the fatigue issues on these types of flights and 4 of those reports questioned the rationale for not having a relief pilot on the eastbound flights.
In November 2009 Air Canada's SMS was assessed by Transport Canada. In that assessment Transport Canada had moderate findings ¹⁷ for the SMS elements of reactive and proactive reporting processes for safety oversight. Air Canada's corrective action plan was filed in September 2010. Transport Canada accepted that plan on 20 July 2011 with implementation to be completed by 31 July 2012.

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Fatigue risk management training at Air Canada

Fatigue risk management training is a foundation for many of the defences against fatigue. It provides employees with knowledge of how to avoid, mitigate and report fatigue issues. CASS 720.23 – Controlled Rest on the Flight Deckrequires that every crew member who participates in the controlled rest on the flight deck program shall have received training in the program as well as training in the general principles of fatigue and fatigue countermeasures. In the Air Canada Flight Operations Manual, the training requirement associated with controlled rest is that: “prior to practising controlled rest the pilots shall be familiar with the contents of the relevant Flight Operations Manual Bulletin.” ¹⁸
All pilots at Air Canada are required to attend annual recurrent training (ART) as part of the Air Canada Continuing Qualification program. The requirements of CASS 725.124 are met by a 6–year training matrix that is reviewed by Air Canada and approved by Transport Canada on an annual basis. Requirements under CASS 725.124 do not include the requirements of CASS 720.23 and as such, Air Canada had included a separate module on controlled rest in 2005, 2006 and 2010. Controlled rest is also covered in initial training for newly hired pilots.
Both the captain and FO were on year 3 of the ART program which featured the module on fatigue risk management. The captain attended ART on 25 June 2010 and the FO on 15 September 2010. This unit was approximately 30 minutes in length and reviewed the science behind fatigue, fatigue mitigation options for flight crew while away from work and at work. The training briefly covered the stages of sleep and the effects of sleep inertia.
The approach taken to training for controlled rest was to read the controlled rest procedure to the trainees. Transport Canada's expectation concerning training for controlled rest was based on Guidance Material S740.23 which refers to the NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Program. This program provides a module in alertness management in flight operations. In this module's introduction it states that the information is intended to be offered as a live presentation by a trained individual to ensure an interactive format that would promote discussion.
When new material is provided on a topic that differs only slightly from what is known but is critical, the difference must be emphasized so that it will be retained. ¹⁹ In addition, unless they are told why the procedures are taught, it is common for workers either to default to what they know or to exceed the limits set in the procedures until they encounter actual safety problems. ²⁰
Air Canada's internal flight safety magazine, Flight Line, featured an article on sleep inertia in the fall/winter 2010 issue. Neither the captain nor FO had read the article prior to the occurrence.

Pilot knowledge of fatigue and controlled rest

The occurrence pilots and several line pilots at Air Canada were interviewed in order to assess their knowledge of fatigue mitigation measures and in particular their knowledge of controlled rest. General knowledge about how to manage their rest for flights was good but there were specific gaps including their knowledge of how disturbances to sleep, such as those caused by caring for children, waking periods during the night or snoring can affect the quality of sleep and subsequently increase the risk of fatigue. They were unsure how to assess whether symptoms of fatigue in themselves or a colleague might indicate being unfit to fly, but they did have a good understanding of methods they could use to mitigate fatigue during flight.
All of the pilots understood that they were required to call cabin crew prior to taking a controlled rest, but they tended to rely on their own assessment of the sleepiness of the non–resting pilot in order to decide whether the cabin crew needed to be told that rest was being taken. Since pilots take controlled rest at times when they are most sleepy, which is likely to be at a similar time to the other pilot due to the circadian rhythm of fatigue, there is a high risk of night–time controlled rest resulting in both pilots falling asleep. ²¹ One of the reasons they were reluctant to inform cabin crew was that they knew cabin crew were not entitled to controlled rest themselves. They did not realize that by not informing the cabin crew of the controlled rest they were creating the possibility of the resting pilot being disturbed.
There was considerable misunderstanding about the reason why controlled rest was limited to 40 minutes. Some pilots believed that 20–40 minutes could not provide appreciable benefits and believed that what was really required was a significant sleeping period—90 to 120 minutes. Some were unaware that by sleeping longer than 40 minutes there was a high risk of entering slow–wave sleep and increasing the severity of sleep inertia.
Their knowledge of sleep inertia was low. They were aware of the term but were not aware how significantly impaired a recently awakened pilot could be. They believed that the recuperation period after a rest was for the pilot to become apprised of the current state of the flight operations, rather than to come back to full alertness.

Sleep inertia

Sleep inertia ²² refers to the post–sleep performance decrements that occur immediately after awakening. Sleep inertia is a transient physiological state characterized by confusion, disorientation, low arousal, and deficits in various types of cognitive and motor performance. ²³ Although the duration of sleep inertia is usually short, from 1 to 15 minutes ²⁴, some deleterious effects can last 30 minutes ²⁵ or longer. ²⁶
Research indicates that the duration and severity of sleep inertia can be worse

• if naps are longer ²⁷;
• if naps occur during the circadian core body temperature trough or circadian low ²⁸ (normally in the middle of the night for a diurnally–oriented person);
• when the person is sleep deprived or has been awake for an extended period ²⁹; and the nap contains or ends with slow–wave sleep. ³⁰

One of the detrimental effects of sleep inertia is a decrease in cognitive processing speed. ³¹ For example, it takes longer than normal for a person experiencing sleep inertia to filter out incongruous visual information. ³²
Given that a decrease in cognitive processing speed, confusion and disorientation are characteristic performance decrements of sleep inertia and that it also results in a propensity for visual distraction and reduced ability to filter out irrelevant visual information, ³³ it is important to allow adequate recovery time after a nap to offset sleep inertia's effects.
It is also important to control the amount of sleep during controlled rest. One study ³⁴ showed that the best reaction times were demonstrated after naps of only 20 minutes compared to naps of 50 and 80 minutes. This may be a direct result of awakening from slow–wave sleep in the longer nap condition. ³⁵

Assessing flight paths of opposite–direction aircraft at night

The assessment of relative position at night is difficult: there are few external cues by which the position and motion of objects can be assessed. Visual cues are further reduced if the cockpit lights are turned on full. In the case of assessing whether an oncoming aircraft at similar altitude will pass above or below, there is no horizon by which to assess the relative motion. When the aircraft is distant it appears as a single point of light with no motion relative to the observer. Based on tests conducted in an Air Canada B767 simulator, no distinct motion up or down the field of view of an oncoming aircraft was detectable until the aircraft was 15 seconds apart at a closure speed of 900 knots. An oncoming higher aircraft then moves up the visual field and an oncoming lower aircraft moves down the visual field. There are no known illusions where a person can perceive an oncoming object as moving contrary to the actual path.

C–GHLQ Boeing 767–333

Records indicate that the aircraft was certified, equipped, and maintained in accordance with existing regulations and approved procedures. Nothing was found to indicate that there was any system malfunction prior to or during the flight.
The aircraft was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) that had a 2–hour recording capacity and a digital flight data recorder (DFDR) with a 25–hour recording capacity. The event was captured on the DFDR but not on the CVR. The aircraft was just over 3 hours from arrival in Zurich when the pitch excursion occurred; therefore, the event was overwritten on the CVR.
At the time of the occurrence, the aircraft's autopilot flight director system was engaged in the normal single–channel mode for cruise flight. A crew member can manipulate the controls when the autopilot is engaged: the engaged autopilot servo will cam–out and the flight crew will have direct control of the primary flight control surfaces. A push or pull force of 24 pounds is required for this action to occur on the elevator servo. A push force of 80 pounds was input by the FO during the event.
The following TSB laboratory report was completed:

LP009/2011 FDR Analysis

This report is available upon request from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

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Analysis

Sleep inertia

The FO felt fit for flight at the time of reporting for duty at 1935, which likely coincided with a circadian high. ³⁶ However, the interrupted sleep obtained in the 24 hours immediately preceding the flight increased the likelihood the FO would feel fatigued and need rest during the overnight eastbound flight, particularly as a circadian low was reached. The FO fell completely asleep during the controlled rest period which also indicates the FO's level of fatigue.
With a view to providing a substantial rest, the captain allowed the FO to rest beyond the 40–minute maximum set as a defence against entering slow–wave sleep; the 75–minute rest that ensued increased the probability of entering slow–wave sleep. The severity and duration of sleep inertia are more likely to be worse if a person is awakened from slow–wave sleep, especially if the rest occurs at a circadian low and when the person is fatigued. Given the consistency between the conditions that worsen sleep inertia and the FO's sleep and controlled rest, and the observation that the FO felt unwell when awakened, it is likely that the FO was suffering from high levels of sleep inertia.

Action taken following identification of the oncoming aircraft

The captain followed standard procedure after the identification of the oncoming aircraft as a TCAS target on the ND. The captain sought the aircraft visually—which, at this point, appeared as a single point of light approximately straight ahead of the aircraft—and verified the target. This task was made more difficult by the cockpit lights being on full, causing reflections in the cockpit glass and hindering the view outside the aircraft. At about this time the FO awoke. To avoid the FO being startled, the captain twice pointed out the relative position of the oncoming aircraft to the FO. This occurred approximately 1 minute after the FO had woken and was most likely suffering from the strong effects of sleep inertia. The FO was not in a state to effectively assimilate the information from both the instruments and from outside the aircraft or effectively provide an appropriate response. Despite having been trained to interpret TCAS targets and react to them, the FO was drawn to rely on immediate perceptual information. Under the effects of sleep inertia, the FO was likely confused and disoriented and perceived the aircraft on an imminent collision course. Consequently, the FO pushed forward on the control column to avoid the collision. The FO quickly realized the error because the traffic appeared to be moving down in the visual field, which did not make sense.By that time, the captain had reversed the control movement to return the aircraft to the previous altitude.
By identifying the oncoming aircraft, the captain engaged the FO before the effects of sleep inertia had worn off. As a consequence, the FO did not form an effective response to the situation.

Training for controlled rest procedures at Air Canada

Several deviations from Air Canada controlled rest SOP occurred. They included:

• not advising the cabin crew of the intention to rest;
• not agreeing in advance on an end time of 40 minutes;
• not stopping the rest at 40 minutes; and
• not providing recovery time after the rest.

Each of these actions was consistent with common misunderstandings among Air Canada pilots.
The procedure for controlled rest provides a means to manage rest and avoid unsafe consequences. For instance, if sleep goes beyond 40 minutes, there is an increased risk of slow–wave sleep, which will likely be followed by longer and more severe sleep inertia. Sleep inertia will happen after any nap. It is particularly important, however, that naps taken during the night on a flight from North America to Europe conform to the procedure because these are likely to occur when other factors, such as the circadian low, are likely to exacerbate any sleep inertia.
The training provided by Air Canada on controlled rest was limited to repeating the procedure in the FOM to the trainees, and did not explain or emphasize why the boundaries of the procedure are critical to safety. The safety publication did describe some of these issues but this form of training does not reliably lead to the level of training required.
Although training was provided on controlled rest and the topic was covered in a recent Air Canada flight safety magazine, this was insufficient to ensure that pilots fully understood and carried out the controlled rest procedures.

Air Canada analysis of fatigue reports

At Air Canada there are several methods in which flight crew can identify fatigue–related issues during flight operations: Aviation Safety Reports, Flight Crew Reports (FCR) and specific fatigue reporting forms distributed by ACPA. Such a wide range of options allows a situation where safety issues related to fatigue may be reported in one system but not analyzed because it does not appear in Air Canada's SMS. The TC–recognized SMS reporting system at Air Canada may not be effective as several reporting systems are being used to report fatigue–related safety issues.

Passenger safety

Passengers had been briefed to always wear their seatbelts when seated. Although the seatbelt sign was on and an announcement was made regarding potential turbulence, several passengers were injured during the event because they were not wearing their seatbelt. Some passengers may not be aware of the inherent risks in not wearing a seatbelt at all times when seated.

Use of relief pilot

Night flights from North America to Europe have an inherent risk of fatigue for North American–based pilots. Research to date has not identified a level of alertness required in order to ensure the safety of operations at the end of such a flight, particularly during the heavy workload period of approach and landing. While controlled rest mitigates fatigue to some extent, studies have not been able to show whether it is sufficient in order to fully mitigate fatigue during this type of flight. More effective rest can be obtained with the use of a relief pilot on eastbound flights.

Findings as to causes and contributing factors

1. The interrupted sleep obtained by the first officer prior to the flight increased the likelihood that rest would be needed during the overnight eastbound flight.
2. The first officer slept for approximately 75 minutes which likely placed the first officer into slow–wave sleep and induced longer and more severe sleep inertia.
3. The first officer was experiencing a circadian low due to the time of day and fatigue due to interrupted sleep which increased the propensity for sleep and subsequently worsened the sleep inertia.
4. By identifying the oncoming aircraft, the captain engaged the first officer (FO) before the effects of sleep inertia had worn off.
5. Under the effects of sleep inertia, the first officer perceived the oncoming aircraft to be on a collision course and pushed forward on the control column.
6. The frequency of training and depth of the training material on fatigue risk management to which the flight crew were exposed were such that the risks associated with fatigue were not adequately understood and procedures for conducting controlled rest were not followed by the flight crew.
7. Although the seatbelt sign was on and an announcement about potential turbulence was made, several passengers were injured during the event because they were not wearing their seatbelt.

Findings as to risk

1. North American–based pilots flying eastbound at night towards Europe are at increased risk of fatigue–related performance decrements.
2. The use of multiple safety occurrence reporting systems may result in some safety issues not being properly identified and analyzed.
3. Some passengers may not be aware of the inherent risks in not wearing a seatbelt at all times when seated.

Other finding

1. As the aircraft cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was only capable of recording for 2 hours, the event was overwritten.

Safety action taken

Air Canada

On 2 March 2011, Air Canada issued FOM Bulletin 13–11 emphasizing that flight crew must adhere to all components of the SOP in order for the controlled rest to be implemented safely. The bulletin emphasized the requirement to notify the applicable flight attendant and to arrange for a call from the flight attendant no later than 45 minutes from the time of briefing.
On 2 March 2011, Air Canada issued FOM Bulletin 14–11 which emphasized the benefits of using strategic lateral offset procedures (SLOP) and to offset by 1 or 2 nm at all times including random tracks unless the course places the aircraft on a less desirable track.
On 23 March 2011, Air Canada Flight Operations issued bulletin 28–11 identifying a Pairing Evaluation and Assessment Committee (PEAC) data collection exercise on the Toronto–Zurich route in an effort to understand the alertness levels of crews on these flights. This committee has both company and association representation.
Air Canada Cabin Safety issued a bulletin to all in–flight service personnel that cabin crew are an important part of the SOP for controlled rest on the flight deck and emphasized the flight deck briefing that is required and the call to the flight deck when 45 minutes have elapsed.

Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) – Technical and safety division

On 1 March 2011, ACPA issued newsletter No. 3, a Crew Flash Alert from the Technical and Safety Division, regarding the collection of data on flights that occur in the window of circadian low. This 60–day collection of data commenced with the Toronto–Zurich–Toronto operation but may expand to other similar routes. Pilots were asked to fill out the ACPA fatigue form prior to top of descent to capture the subjective rating of their alertness/fatigue. This survey is in addition to the data collection efforts of the Flight Standards and Quality department.
This report concludes the Transportation Safety Board's investigation into this occurrence. Consequently, the Board authorized the release of this report on 29 February 2012.

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Appendix A – Seating Diagram and Location of the Injured

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1. All times Eastern Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time minus 5 hours). ↑
2. Transport Canada, Aeronautical Information Manual, section RAC 11.6.1 advises that non–OTS tracks be great circle tracks joining successive significant points. For flights south of 70°N, such as for flight ACA878, the significant points are defined by the intersection of half or a whole degree of latitude at each 10 degrees of longitude. The distance between significant points shall not exceed 1 hour of flight time. ↑
3. SLOP is recommended to reduce the exposure to turbulence from aircraft on the same track and to increase safety margins should another aircraft deviate from its assigned altitude. There are 3 options: centre line, 1 nautical mile (nm) right and 2 nm right. An ATC clearance is not required to SLOP when flying in the Gander or Shanwick Oceanic sectors. ↑
4. This was in addition to the initial safety briefing where passengers are advised to keep their seatbelts fastened whenever seated. ↑
5. TCAS targets show at the 30 nm range. With the ND set at 320 nm, as it was in this case, the TCAS target would appear on top of the aircraft symbol at the bottom of the ND. It is Air Canada standard operating procedures (SOP) to reduce the range to ensure a clear depiction of the TCAS target relevant to the aircraft. ↑
6. Circadian lows are periods of high fatigue and poor performance. The highest levels of fatigue and worst performance occur when circadian rhythms dictate sleep. For a diurnal person this is during the night. See for examples: Härmä, M., Sallinen, M., Ranta, R., Mutanen, P., & Müller, K. (2002). The effect of an irregular shift system on sleepiness at work in train drivers and railway traffic controllers. Journal of Sleep Research, 11, 141 – 151; Ingre, M., Kecklund, G., Åkerstedt, T., & Kecklund, L. (2004). Variation in sleepiness during early morning shifts: A mixed model approach to an experimental field study of train drivers. Chronobiology International, 21(6), 973–990; Gupta, S. & Pati, A. (1994). Desynchronization of circadian rhythms in a group of shift working nurses: Effects of pattern of shift rotation. Journal of Human Ergology, 23(2), 121–131; Tilley, A., Wilkinson, R., Warren, P., Watson, B., & Drud, M. (1982). The sleep and performance of shift workers, Human Factors, 24(6), 629–641. ↑
7. In general, researchers have found that the adjustment of the human circadian system resulting from changes to sleep–wake pattern occurs at a rate of 1 to 1.5 hours per day. Adjusting from being awake during the day to being awake at night, a 12 hour difference, could take between 12 and 18 days for complete adjustment to take place and optimum performance to return. Flying one night shift will not result in adequate circadian adjustment and pilot performance will continue to be affected by circadian lows during night flying (Klein, K. & Wegmann, H. (1980). Significance of circadian rhythms in aerospace operations, (NATO AGARDograph, 247). Neuilly sur Seine, France: NATO AGARD). ↑
8. See for examples: Gupta, S. & Pati, A. (1994). Desynchronization of circadian rhythms in a group of shift working nurses: Effects of pattern of shift rotation. Journal of Human Ergology, 23(2), 121–131; Tilley, A., Wilkinson, R., Warren, P., Wastson, B., & Drud, M. (1982), The sleep and performance of shiftworkers, Human Factors, 24, 629–641; Tepas, D., Walsh, J., & Armstrong, D. (1981). In L. C. Johnson, D. I. Tepas, W. P. Colquhoun, & M. J. Colligan (Eds.), Biological rhythms, sleep and shift work (pp. 347–356). New York: Spectrum Publishing; Duffy, J., Dijk, D., Klerman, E., Czeisler, C. (1998). Later endogenous circadian temperature nadir relative to an earlier wake time in older people. American Journal of Physiology, 275, R1478–R1487. ↑
9. See for examples: Lavie, P. (1986). Ultrashort sleep–waking schedule III. 'Gates' and 'forbidden zones' for sleep. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 63(5), 414–425; Cabon, P., Bourgeois–Bougrine, S., Mollard, R., Coblentz, A., & Speyer, J. (2000). Fatigue of short–haul flight aircrews in civil aviation: Effects of work schedules. In S. Hornberger, P. Knauth, G. Costa, & S. Folkard (Eds.), Shiftwork in the 21st century: Challenges for research and practice (pp.79–85). Frankfurt: Peter Lang. ↑
10. Conditions that cause or tend to cause sleep, such as low lighting, few task requirements and/or little to observe outside the aircraft. ↑
11. TP 14575E, Developing and Implementing a Fatigue Risk Management System, April 2007. ↑
12. In June 2011, ICAO released DOC 9966 FRMS for Regulators. In July 2011, IATA, ICAO and IFALPA jointly announce the FRMS Implementation Guide for Operators. ↑
13. CAR 602.02 and Air Canada Flight Operations Manual 2.9.4. ↑
14. Checklist challenges user to consider pre–duty workload, pre–duty sleep, actual fitness and actual flight duty period. See for example: Valk, P.J.L. and Simmons, M. (1997) Pros and Cons of Strategic Napping in Long Haul Flights, AGARD–CP–599 Aeromedical Support Issues in Contingency Operations, The AMP Symposium, held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 29 September – 1 October 1997. ↑
15. For example: Rosekind, M.R. et al (1994) Crew Factors in Flight Operations IZ: Effects of Planned Cockpit Rest on Crew Performance and Alertness in Long–Haul Operations, NASA Technical Memorandum 108839; Speyer, J.J. et al (2004) Getting to Grips with Fatigue and Alertness Management, Airbus STL 945.2796/04; Simons M, and Valk PJL, (1997) Effects of controlled rest on the flight deck on crew performance and alertness. Netherlands Aerospace Medical Centre Report No. NLRGC 1997–B3. ↑
16. Controlled Rest – Air Canada FOM, Section 2.9.10 – Alertness Management. ↑
17. A finding is considered moderate where a surveillance activity has identified that a SMS component and/or element has not been fully maintained and non–conformance findings indicate that the component is not fully effective, but where no immediate safety issues were detected. ↑
18. Air Canada Flight Operations Manual, 01 Jun 2010, Health and Medical Considerations, Practicing Controlled Rest, p19. ↑
19. Negative transfer is the detrimental effect of prior experience on the learning of a new task. ↑
20. Rasmussen J, Pejtersen AM and Goodstein LP (1994) Cognitive systems engineering. Wiley, New York. ↑
21. Valk, P.J.L. and Simmons, M. (1997) Pros and Cons of Strategic Napping in Long Haul Flights, AGARD–CP–599 Aeromedical Support Issues in Contingency Operations, The AMP Symposium, held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 29 September – 1 October 1997. ↑
22. Lubin, A., Hord, D., Tracy, M., & Johnson, L. (1976). Effects of exercise, bedrest and napping on performance decrement during 40 hours. Psychophysiology, 13, 334–339. ↑
23. Ferrara, M. & De Gennaro, L. (2000). The sleep inertia phenomenon during the sleep–wake transition: Theoretical operational issues. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 71, 843–848. ↑
24. See for examples: Webb, W. & Agnew, H. (1974). The effects of a chronic limitation on sleep length. Psychophysiology, 11, 265–274;Wilkinson, R. & Stretton, M. (1971). Performance after awakening at different times of night. Psychonomic Science, 23, 283–285. ↑
25. Dinges, D., Orne, M., Whitehouse, W., & Orne, E. (1987). Temporal placement of a nap for alertness: Contributions of circadian phase and prior wakefulness. Sleep, 10, 313–329; Ferrara, M. & De Gennaro, L. (2000). The sleep inertia phenomenon during the sleep–wake transition: Theoretical operational issues. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 71, 843–848. ↑
26. For example: Jewitt, M., Wyatt, J., Ritz–De Cecco, A., Khalsa S., Djik D., & Czeisler, C. (1999). Time course of sleep inertia dissipation in human performance and alertness. Journal of Sleep Research, 8, 1–8). ↑
27. Matchock R. & Mordkoff (2007). Visual attention, reaction time, and self–reported alertness upon awakening from sleep bouts of varying lengths. Experimental Brain Research, 178, 228–239;Dinges, D., Orne, E., Evans, F., & Orne, M. (1981). Performance after naps in sleep–conducive and alerting environments. In L. Johnson, D. Tepas, W. Colquhoun, & M. Colligan, (Eds.), Biological Rhythms, Sleep and Shift Work (pp. 539–553). New York: Spectrum Publications. ↑
28. See for examples: Dinges, D., Orne, M., & Orne, E. (1985). Assessing performance upon abrupt awakening from naps during quasi–continuous operations. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers, 17, 37–45; Lavie, P. & Weler, B. (1989). Timing of naps: effects on post–nap sleepiness levels. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 72, 218–224;Dinges, D., Orne, M., Whitehouse, W., & Orne, E. (1987). Temporal placement of a nap for alertness: contributions of circadian phase and prior wakefulness. Sleep, 10, 313–329. ↑
29. See for examples: Dinges, D., Orne, M., & Orne, E. (1985). Assessing performance upon abrupt awakening from naps during quasicontinuous operations. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers, 17, 37–45; Ferrara, M., De Gennaro, L., & Bertini, M. (2000). Voluntary oculomotor performance upon awakening after total sleep deprivation. Sleep, 23, 801–811. ↑
30. See for example: Feltin, M. & Broughton, R. (1968). Differential effects of arousal from slow wave sleep and REM sleep. Psychophysiology, 5, 231. ↑
31. See for example: Tassi, P & Muzet, A. (2000). Sleep inertia. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 4(4), 341–353. ↑
32. Matchock R. & Mordkoff (2007). Visual attention, reaction time, and self–reported alertness upon awakening from sleep bouts of varying lengths. Experimental Brain Research, 178, 228–239. ↑
33. See for examples:Matchock R. & Mordkoff (2007). Visual attention, reaction time, and self–reported alertness upon awakening from sleep bouts of varying lengths. Experimental Brain Research, 178, 228–239; Tassi, P & Muzet, A. (2000). Sleep inertia. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 4(4), 341–353. ↑
34. Evans, F. & Orne, M. (1976). Recovery from fatigue. Annual Summary Report No. 60. Fort Derrick, MD: US Army Medical Research and Development Command. ↑
35. Stampi, C., Mullington, J., Rivers, M.,Campos, J., & Broughton, R. (1990). Ultrashort sleep schedules: Sleep architecture and the recuperative value of multiple 80– 50– and 20 –min naps. In J. Horne (Ed.) Sleep '90 (71–74). Bochum, U.K.: Pontenagel Press. ↑
36. A circadian high is a period of normal or optimal alertness and performance. Circadian highs occur during the daytime hours for the diurnal person. ↑

Superior Court stops destruction of Quebec’s long-gun registry : The minister expressed disappointment with the court decision,.

On the same day that legislation to destroy the federal long-gun registry received royal assent, a Quebec court has stepped in and stopped the federal government from deleting all data involving the province.
Superior Court Judge Jean-François de Grandpré sided with the Quebec government and ordered Ottawa to not only temporarily safeguard the data but to allow the province the right to access the information contained in the registry. The ruling also requires that all new non-restricted firearms such as rifles and shotguns continue to be registered in the province.

 

 

Why end the gun registry?

The order issued on Thursday took effect immediately, just hours before the bill abolishing the gun registry was given royal assent. The interim ruling will be enforced for a week, until further motions for an injunction can be argued next week.
In Ottawa, the Conservatives celebrated the demise of the registry, with one MP paraphrasing Martin Luther King to the cheers of his colleagues in the House of Commons.
“Free at last, free at last,” said New Brunswick MP John Williamson. “God almighty, Canadians are finally free at last [of the gun registry].”
The U.S. civil-rights leader was killed 44 years ago this week by a bullet from a long gun.
The Quebec government hopes to receive a temporary injunction to protect the data until a permanent ruling, which could take months, can be obtained.
“So for a week it [the gun registry] is still there. Of course it’s good news but it’s just a first step,” Quebec Justice Minister Jean-Marc Fournier said. “There is no destruction of the data. The registry is still in operation. We are going to go back in front of the judge in a week for another hearing and we’ll see what happens.”
In its brief to the court, Quebec argued that the registry helped reduce gun-related crimes, suicides and homicides. Police in Quebec consulted the registry an average of 700 times a day, the province argued, making the registry an instrumental tool in investigations.
The federal government made it clear from the outset that it would destroy the data as soon as it could in accordance with a provision in the newly passed law.
“As soon as the legislation is passed, there is a requirement to destroy the data. If there’s no legal impediment to destroying the data, that process continues,” said federal Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews.
In statement released by his office, Mr. Toews said that the court ruling was temporary and in no way “diminished our commitment to ending the long-gun registry once and for all.”
The minister expressed disappointment with the court decision, saying it went against the “will of Canadians and of Parliament.”
Rather than battling in court, Quebec urged Ottawa to help the province set up its own gun registry, using the data collected in Quebec since 1998.
“The federal government can still change its mind and accept to co-operate. The victims of firearms and their families are making the same request,” Mr. Fournier said.
Quebec was at the forefront of the movement to set up the gun registry after the deaths of 14 women during the 1989 shooting rampage at Montreal’s École Polytechnique.
Heidi Rathjen, a student at the École Polytechnique at the time, now heads a group that supports maintaining the gun registry in Quebec.
“The Conservatives in Ottawa want nothing to do with the gun registry. Our group appeared before the Senate committee last week. It was a real joke. It was nothing more than a political spectacle,” Ms. Rathjen said on Thursday.
She said that the registry works and it would be ridiculous for Ottawa to abolish the data and impede Quebec’s will to maintain it.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay says he was aware two years ago that it would cost closer to $25 billion to buy a new fleet of F-35 stealth fighter jets.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay says he was aware two years ago that it would cost closer to $25 billion to buy a new fleet of F-35 stealth fighter jets.
That's about $10 billion more than the nearly $15 billion the government has maintained would be the price of the 65 radar-evading aircraft.
MacKay was asked on CTV's Question Period whether he was aware of the higher internal number. He said the higher number takes into account the ongoing cost of pilots' salaries and other costs associated with operating the current fleet of CF-18 jet fighters.
"Yes, and it was explained to me just that way, that the additional $10 billion was money that you could describe as sunk costs, that is what we're paying our personnel, and the fuel that is currently being expended in CF-18s, jet fuel, maintenance costs, what we are currently spending. So not part of a new acquisition," MacKay said.
Auditor General Michael Ferguson issued a scathing report this past week that slammed the military for keeping Parliament in the dark on the true cost of the procurement.
He pegged the eventual cost of the project at $25 billion.
Ferguson also suggested to reporters that cabinet ministers would have known the true cost of buying the new planes was much higher than the numbers they were using publicly.



The Conservative government has faced heated attacks from the opposition, including calls for ministerial resignations.
MacKay dismissed a suggestion that he should resign over the matter.
"This money has not been spent. No money is missing," he said.
Opposition MPs appearing on the same program rejected MacKay's explanation of the higher figure.
NDP critic Jack Harris accused the government of deliberately misleading Canadians on the true cost of the project, including during last year's federal election campaign.
"They can't paper this over. This is going to haunt them," said Harris.
Liberal MP Ralph Goodale echoed that criticism.
"There's no way Mr. MacKay can explain this away," said Goodale.
"And quite frankly this buck doesn't stop with Mr. MacKay. This issue is for the prime minister. It is the prime minister who knew every minute detail of this file."

top student cities Stockholm

Stockholm beat out Helsinki and Copenhagen, as well as several other university towns in northern Europe in a ranking of the “Best Student Cities in the World” published this week.

The list, compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), is based a set of 12 criteria which take into consideration public information, population size, number of universities and their quality based on the QS World University Rankings.

According to the ranking, the Swedish capital is the 27th best student city in the world.

Nordic neighbour Helsinki came close behind Sweden’s capital at number 33, while Copenhagen was came in 39th.

Topping the list this year was Paris, followed by London, Boston, Melbourne and Vienna.

Glasgow came in last place, just after Bangkok, and Cairo.

The compilation is the first that the company has released and shows a few clear trends, most noticeably the heavy presence of European cities compared to cities in the United States.

While 21 of the top 50 cities were European, only six were based in the United States.

Stockholm's ranking is based on the city having four institutions of higher learning -- Stockholm University, the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Karolinska University, and the Stockholm School of Economics (Handelshögskola).

According to the company's rankings, the city’s top university is Stockholm University, which places 178 worldwide.

Two of Stockholm's schools charge fees which average fees are $19,300 a year, according to the ranking.

Boston, by comparison, came in third on the list and has average university fees of $39,600.

In addition, 9 percent of Stockholm's population of 1,373,000 people are students (48,900).

QS’s figures also revealed that 67 percent of domestic employers identified at least one of Stockholm's institutions as producing excellent graduates. The comparable rate for international employers was 53 percent.

While quality of living in the capital was rated as extremely high at 94 out of 100, affordability was the main detractor of the city, rated as 34 out of 100.

Ronalee "Rona" Ambrose

Ronalee "Rona" Ambrose, PC, MP (born March 15, 1969) is a Canadian politician and a Member of Parliament since 2004. She serves as the Minister of Public Works and Government Services for Canada, Vice-Chair of the Treasury Board Cabinet committee, Minister of State for Status of Women Canada and Minister of Western Economic Diversification.
In the previous Parliament, she was Canada's Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister of Western Economic Diversification and President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. She has been a Conservative member of the Canadian House of Commons from Edmonton–Spruce Grove since 2004. She is a former communication consultant and public policy consultant for the Alberta government. When the Conservative party was in opposition, she served as its Intergovermental Affairs critic.

Contents [hide] 1 Early life and education 2 Early political career 3 Cabinet minister 3.1 Minister of the Environment 3.2 Cabinet shuffles 3.3 Honours 4 References 5 External links

 Early life and education

Ambrose was born in Valleyview, Alberta and grew up both in Brazil and in Parkland County, Alberta. In addition to English, she also speaks fluent Portuguese (Brazil's official language), Spanish, and French. Ambrose has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria and a Master of Arts degree in political science from the University of Alberta.

 Early political career

Ambrose was first elected as a Member of Parliament in the 2004 federal election.
On February 16, 2005, she made headlines after making a remark in Parliament directed at Liberal Social Development Minister Ken Dryden saying "working women want to make their own choices, we don't need old white guys telling us what to do," in reference to the Liberal national child care plan.
Ambrose calls herself a libertarian and is a fan of Ayn Rand novels such as Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.^[1] She was a member of the Trilateral Commission, as reported in Vancouver's Georgia Straight, August 24, 2006.
Ambrose was temporarily the Conservative critic for International Trade, after the defection of Belinda Stronach to the Liberal Party.

] Cabinet minister

In 2006, Ambrose successfully defended her seat in Edmonton–Spruce Grove with 66.8% of the vote in the riding. She was then appointed Environment Minister in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government. She was shuffled out of that position on January 4, 2007, and appointed Minister of Western Economic Diversification, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Privy Council.
On October 30, 2008, Rona Ambrose was shuffled to the Department of Labour.^[2]
On January 19, 2010, Ambrose was appointed as the new Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.

] Minister of the Environment

On April 7, 2006, Ambrose announced that Canada had no chance of meeting its targets under the Kyoto accord and would have to set more "realistic" goals for cutting greenhouse gases. "My departmental officials and the department officials from natural resources have indicated that it is impossible, impossible for Canada to reach its Kyoto target. And let me be clear. I have been engaging with our international counterparts over the past month, and we are not the only country that is finding itself in this situation." said Ambrose. On June 6, 2006, in a speech she clarified with the following: "So we became the first and only country to publicly state that we know we will not reach our Kyoto targets. This was met by controversy. But we will not be the last. However, no one that follows this debate in any serious manner was surprised to find out that after years of no action on climate change, meeting the onerous targets negotiated under the Liberals was not a reality."
On April 13, 2006, Ambrose was accused of stopping an Environment Canada scientist, Mark Tushingham, from speaking publicly about his own novel. The science fiction novel, entitled Hotter than Hell, posits an alternate future in which global warming has made many parts of the world too hot to live in and has prompted a war between Canada and the U.S. over water resources. Tushingham was scheduled to speak in Ottawa at his book launch about his book and his beliefs underpinning it. However, he claimed an order from Ambrose's office stopped him. In response, Ambrose's spokesperson claimed that the speech was billed as coming from an Environment Canada scientist, who would appear to be speaking in an official capacity, even though his book is a work of fiction.^[3]
On May 11, 2006, before the House of Commons, she said "We would have to pull every truck and car off the street, shut down every train and ground every plane to reach the Kyoto target negotiated by the Liberals."^[4]
She continued her May 11 speech: "Or we could shut all the lights off in Canada tomorrow -- but that still wouldn’t be enough -- to reach our Kyoto target we’d have to shut off all the lights AND shut down the entire agriculture industry.
"Or instead we could shut down every individual Canadian household, not once, not twice, not three times, but FOUR times over to meet the Kyoto target the Liberals negotiated for Canada.
"Or, we could do what the Liberals thought was the answer faced with the realization that the target they negotiated meant shutting down Canada’s economy -- spend the money overseas buying international credits -- the Liberals had set aside up to $600 per Canadian household to be sent overseas in order to help reach the Kyoto target they negotiated for Canada."
Ambrose was criticized by Bill Graham, Leader of the Opposition, on May 15, 2006 for chairing a UN conference on climate change despite admitting that Canada will not meet its Kyoto Protocol targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ambrose, who was leading the May 15 to 26 meetings in Bonn, Germany, repeated her claim that Canada's targets under Kyoto are "unachievable." During Question Period that day, Bill Graham asked the prime minister if he saw the "irony" in having someone who "despises" Kyoto to chair the meeting in Germany. At the beginning of the UN conference, Ambrose stated: "I have been very honest with Canadians after the release of our greenhouse gas inventories that we will have great difficulty in meeting those targets. We believe they are unachievable."
Ambrose told a parliamentary committee that Canada had paid its debts under the Kyoto Protocol only to have an Environment Canada official point out that the bill was still unpaid.^[5]
Continued opposition discontent over Ambrose's conduct led the NDP to table a motion in the Commons environmental committee calling for her resignation. The vote, which was held on June 21, 2006, saw the Liberals side with the Conservatives, thus defeating the motion. Had the motion passed, a vote would then have been held in the House of Commons, and, because this was deemed to be a matter of confidence, could possibly have triggered an election.
In August 2006 she stated that although the population of spotted owls in British Columbia is only 17, she does not feel they are threatened and therefore they do not merit any special protection (The Northern Spotted Owl is listed as Threatened or Endangered throughout its range in US and Canada).
On October 19, 2006, Ambrose introduced a Clean Air Act that purported to reduce the level of greenhouse emissions starting in 2020, cutting them to about half of the 2003 levels by 2050. She also introduced other regulations to industries and vehicles as well as a possible cooperation between the federal government and the provinces to create a system that would report air emissions. In an interview with the media, Ambrose denied that the Conservative government had abandoned the Kyoto Protocol despite its previous opposition to it. However, industries will have until 2010 before they are expected to reduce emissions, and the government will not have final (and voluntary) targets ready until 2020. Oil companies will have to reduce emissions on a per-barrel basis, reduction proportional to production basis.^[6][7]

 Cabinet shuffles

News stories began to appear in late 2006 of a possible Cabinet shuffle that included shifting Ms. Ambrose from her environment portfolio. On January 4, 2007, Rona Ambrose moved from environment to become Minister of Western Economic Diversification, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs as well as President of the Queen's Privy Council. The Environment portfolio went to John Baird, the former President of the Treasury Board. On January 19, 2010, Rona Ambrose succeeded Christian Paradis and was named the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. On April 9, 2010 she was also named Minister responsible for the Status of Women after Helena Guergis was dismissed from Cabinet.

 Honours

Ambrose has the prenomial "the Honourable" and the postnomial "PC" for life by virtue of being made a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada on February 6, 2006.^[8]
In 2008, Ambrose was #17 on the Western Standard's "Liberty 100" top Canadian "pro-freedom activists, journalists, think-tankers and partisans."^[9] The Hill Times named Ambrose "Sexiest Female MP" in 2008 and 2009.^[10][11]

 References

1. ^ "Rona Ambrose a promising pick for Harper". CTV.ca. 2006-01-20. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060118/elxn_rona_ambrose_060120/20060120?s_name=election2006&no_ads=. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
2. ^ "Harper shuffles cabinet to create 'right team for these times' - Canada - CBC News". Cbc.ca. 2008-10-30. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/10/30/cabinet-shuffle.html. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
3. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "Salle des médias d'Environnement Canada - Environment Canada's Media Room". Ec.gc.ca. 2003-08-27. http://www.ec.gc.ca/minister/speeches/2006/060511_s_e.htm. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
5. ^ "Canada forks over $1.5 million in green funding for developing countries". Canada.com. 2007-12-13. http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=c8c637d2-d6a4-4417-ab3f-8f7a1e7cb4f1&k=64420. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
6. ^ "Clean Air Act receives rocky reception from MPs | CTV News". Ctv.ca. 2006-10-20. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061018/environment_act_061019/20061019?hub=TopStories. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
7. ^ "Rien de concret avant 2010 | Politique". Radio-Canada.ca. http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2006/10/19/001-loi_environnement.shtml. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
8. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}
9. ^ Posted by westernstandard on January 2, 2009 (2009-01-02). "The Shotgun: Western Standard’s “Liberty 100” Top 25 for 2008". Westernstandard.blogs.com. http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2009/01/western-standards-liberty-100-top-25-for-2008.html. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
10. ^ [3]^{[dead link]}
11. ^ [4]^{[dead link]}

External links

• Campaign Site
• Rona Ambrose MP official site
• Profile at Parliament of Canada
• Parliamentarian profile at ParlInfo
• Speeches, votes and activity at OpenParliament.ca
• Voting history at How'd They Vote?
• Ambrose announces it will be 'impossible' for Canada to reach Kyoto targets
• CBC article - Ambrose stops book talk by Environment Canada Scientist
• Video of Ambrose on the Rick Mercer Report on YouTube
• "Ambrose feels heat for heading UN climate-change meeting" - CBC Article
• "One on one with: Rona Ambrose" (Interview with Chatelaine magazine)

Canadians’ constitutional knowledge lacking: survey . Do you know what day the 1867 Constitution Act came into force

Do you know what day the 1867 Constitution Act came into force?
According to a recent survey conducted by the Canadian Constitution Foundation, only 54 per cent of respondents knew the answer. (The correct response is July 1, of course.)

With the 30th anniversary of the 1982 Constitution Act quickly approaching, several groups are doing what they can to spread awareness.

The CCF designated March 29 as “Constitution Day” in an effort to improve Canadians’ understanding of the act. The date was chosen to align with the constitution acts of 1867 and 1982, which both received Royal assent on that day. The official anniversary is April 17, as that was the day Queen Elizabeth II signed the Constitution Act of 1982.

Chris Schafer, CCF executive director, says the survey results show that Canadians’ constitutional knowledge is lacking. For example, only nine per cent of respondents knew the Charter doesn’t include protection for private property.

Bruce Elman, a constitutional law professor at the University of Windsor, agrees that there’s a general lack of awareness among members of the public. He recalls much discussion about the Constitution leading up to 1982, “but I don’t think there’s much talk of it now . . . even in terms of whether or not the court is getting the balance right,” he says.

Naturally, Elman is a strong supporter of education. During his time as Windsor law’s dean, he would speak to high school students about what they should know about the Constitution. “Unless you understand our Constitution, you don’t fully understand democracy,” he says.

“[The Constitution] really informs how we operate as citizens. Even something as simple as which level of government is responsible for what. In order to be an informed voter in the province of Ontario, you sort of have to know what is actually the responsibility of the provincial government and what’s the responsibility of the federal government,” he adds.

Elman says there needs to be a greater emphasis on teaching students about the Constitution and the Charter within the Canadian education system. “I think the most obvious way to give the public an understanding of their rights and about constitutional values more generally is first of all in the schools. I think the easiest way to do it is to get young minds thinking about these issues,” he says.

The CCF also aims to educate and spread awareness of the Constitution. It has even created a web site dedicated to “Constitution Day.”

Windsor law students recently launched the Charter Project to encourage Canadians to start discussions about the Charter. Among their various initiatives, they have produced public service announcements featuring Canadian celebrities and video interviews with legal experts.

As former dean, Elman supported the project from the very beginning. “I’m a huge supporter of anything that will get constitutional issues — Charter or otherwise — out into the public square as opposed to the rarified realm of law firms and judicial forums,” he says.

Air Canada maintenance... what they aren't telling us before we board

Aveos Fleet Performance Inc., the heavy maintenance company in charge of Air Canada's fleet maintenance, recently filed for bankruptcy in Canada.  That is tragic because it puts a lot of highly skilled people out of work.  The company claims the reason behind it's bankruptcy in Canada is due to the fact that Air Canada kept rescheduling major maintenance work on it's fleet causing the maintenance company to go into the red. 

The issue that has been swept under the carpet by the media is the question of what kind of major maintenance Air Canada kept rescheduling.  If you keep rescheduling maintenance, eventually it will cause a major safety concern.  I, for one, would not like to be concerned about maintenance at 30,000 to 45,000 feet.  I would also like to know how long Air Canada has been deferring work that is required on their fleet.  If an airline does not get the heavy maintenance work done, it can result in catastrophic failure of safety and control systems possibly leading to a fatal accident.  For the record, Air Canada has an extremely good safety record - it's last fatal accident was in June of 1983.  That said, if you skimp on the maintenance, a serious accident such as Alaska Airlines Flight 261 in 2000 which involved insufficient lubrication of flight control systems sent the plane spiralling into the Pacific ocean killing all on board.  I am not saying that will happen to Air Canada or any other Canadian airline for that matter, but flight 261 is a good example of how something as simple as insufficient lubrication of nuts, screws and assemblies will lead to a plane going down.  Upkeep of control systems are considered heavy maintenance because you have to disassemble large parts of the aircraft in order to get to the parts.

I feel the media should ask the question regarding possible maintenance lapses and the increased likelihood of a critical incident occurring because of it.

Notes about the author of this post:

• I do not work for an aviation maintenance company or airline in any capacity
• I do not work for any aviation regulator  ie  Transport Canada, FAA etc.
• I am not part of an aerospace union
• I am not part of any trade organization
• I am not part of any media organization
• I study aviation accidents, safety and performance issues as a hobby