27. Underlines that the use of private armed guards aboard has increased, as well as the fact that no vessel with PCASP on board has been successfully pirated although it is a measure that cannot substitute for the needed comprehensive solution of the multifaceted piracy threat; takes into account that some Member States have introduced relevant legislation; in this context calls on the Member States to perform necessary security measures on board when it is possible, as well as the Commission and the Council to work towards shaping an EU approach concerning the use of cert ...[+++]ified armed personnel on board in order to ensure a good implementation of the IMO guidelines in this regard; reminds that according to IMO BMP4 (Best Management Practices): ‘Subject to risk analysis, careful planning and agreements, the provision of Military Vessel Protection Detachments (VPDs) deployed to protect vulnerable shipping is the recommended option when considering armed guards’;

These concern train staff who are not drivers but who are involved in tasks relating to railway transport.

As you know, the risk assessment indicated that while the maintenance of the current ratio of one flight attendant for every 40 passengers provides a consistent equivalent level of safety to which the Canadian public has become accustomed, the ratio of one flight attendant for every 50 passenger seats offers an acceptable level of safety, provided all the safety requirements of the proposed regulations are met and special measures are taken to mitigate the risk associated with the possibility of fewer flight attendants.

Since we're touching on the training for flight attendants, I'm curious about what Transport Canada views as an acceptable number of flight attendants to ensure passenger safety in the time of an accident or some kind of a situation happening on a flight. Do they think it's reasonable that one flight attendant look after 40 passengers, 50 passengers, 40 passengers consisting of 10 kids, 12 seniors, whatever?

Likewise, 19 passenger seats is exactly the limit for when a cabin attendant is required and therefore is a natural limit for imposing more elaborate organisational requirements.

Richard Balnis, Senior Research Officer, CUPE, the union representing flight attendants, Nov. 18, 2002: “Not all flight attendants on any particular flight are guaranteed of knowing whether an armed RCMP officer is onboard their aircraft.