The Canadian government is dedicating nearly $76 million in additional funding to address passenger rights complaints.

Minister of Transport, the Honorable Omar Alghabra made the announcement Tuesday morning at Toronto Pearson International Airport citing the $75.9 million will “strengthen the operation of the federal transportation network, enabling the Canadian Transportation Agency to deliver on its mandate for Canadians.”

Money will be spent on hiring new employees to deal with the backload of complaints starting in 2023-2024 and continue over three years. Canadian Transport Authority (CTA) officials told a parliamentary committee in November that the backlog of complaints related to delayed, cancelled flights or lost luggage had ballooned to more than 30,000 — up from 18,000 the previous summer.

The travel chaos during the 2022 winter holiday season added an estimated 10,000 to that total.

"Travellers have rights, and these rights must be respected by airlines. When airlines do not provide the reimbursement or compensation to which travellers are entitled, the Canadian Transportation Agency is there to ensure passenger rights are respected,” said The Honourable Omar Alghabr, Minister of Transport.

“Today's announcement helps give the Agency more resources to deal with complaints and ensure the rules are respected. Our government also continues to work to strengthen and clarify travellers' rights."

The Canadian Transportation Agency (Agency) is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator with the mandate to help ensure that the national transportation system runs efficiently, smoothly and is accessible in the interests of all Canadians.

The Agency is responsible for enforcing the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which came fully into force in 2019. In 2022, new regulations on refund requirements for flight cancellations or lengthy delays outside of an air carrier's control came into force.