Digitalization and biometrics have been allocated funding in the 2026 Canadian federal budget, announced on November 5, as part of a broader push to modernize the airport ecosystem.
The Canadian Airports Council has welcomed the announcement of the new Traveller Biometric Strategy. “Airports and their partners have advocated for this and run successful pilots, and are prepared to move quickly,” the council said on November 6.
The strategy aims to make travel more secure and convenient, as well as reducing wait times, and includes expansion of digital identity capabilities, which are proving to be popular with travelers in Canada and around the world.
The new federal budget, announced on November 5, sets aside C$4.3m (US$3m) over four years for the strategy as well as C$90m (US$64m) to expand facial and fingerprint scanning for arrivals, with the Canada Border Services Agency to receive C$192.5m (US$136.5m)to update its digital infrastructure.
A special advisor has been appointed at Transport Canada to accelerate work across government departments and agencies in line with the strategy.
Canada has also signed a new working arrangement with Frontex (the European border and coast guard agency) to tackle migrant smuggling, human trafficking and document and identity fraud. The arrangement also creates new opportunities for cooperation on research, training, and technology and innovation, including the exchange of best practices on border management tools.
Related news, Saudi Arabia becomes the latest US Global Entry partner
