COPA Supports Members Through Aviation Medical Delays

Summary of the Issue

Many Canadian pilots have experienced delays in receiving updates or renewals for their aviation medical certificates, particularly when their files involve underlying or pre-existing medical conditions. Civil Aviation Medicine (CAM), a branch of Transport Canada, continues to face challenges related to system modernisation and staffing shortages.

While progress has been made in processing times for non-complex medicals, wait times for other cases can still be significant, depending on the complexity and medical resources available to assess these cases.

To streamline inquiries, CAM has requested that pilots submit all medical certificate questions first through the TC Medical Portal, or submit a request through the medical certificate enquiry form before reaching out through third parties.

What is COPA doing?

COPA continues to support members on a case-by-case basis, helping them obtain updates on the status of their medical files when needed. While COPA cannot intervene in individual medical diagnoses or assessments, it has established a formal understanding with CAM: upon request, CAM will provide file status updates for COPA members.

At a broader level, COPA maintains regular policy discussions with CAM to support ongoing improvements within the aviation medical system. This includes monitoring efforts to modernise process, digitise records, and address internal staffing issues that affect certificate processing times. COPA is also advocacting for the adoption of a medical category similar to the FAA's "Basic Med", to reduce internal medical processing times and remove restrictions on pilots.