Bilateral Air Relations Between Canada and Foreign Countries
On November 27, 2006, the Blue Sky policy was officially adopted by the Government of Canada. Since its inception, the Blue Sky policy has become an important vehicle to promote connectivity between all Canadian regions and the world. It has also provided Canadian consumers with more choices in terms of destinations and number of direct flights.
The Blue Sky policy calls for a proactive approach to the liberalization of Air Transport Agreements (ATAs). In particular, it seeks to negotiate reciprocal Open Skies-type agreements when it is in Canada's overall interest to do so. It does not advocate a "one-size-fits-all" undifferentiated approach to air transport negotiations and recognizes that, in some instances, it is justified to be more prudent, especially where there are level-playing field concerns or where new services run the risk of destabilizing existing ones valued by Canadian communities.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada and Transport Canada are jointly responsible to advance the air transport negotiations agenda with foreign countries.