TC Class 2 Aviation Medical Certificate Question - Suboxone

[Suitcase]

Hello,

I am currently in the earlier stages of an application for a position at Nav Canada, and I am starting to think about the Transport Canada class 2 medical certification that I will require. I have tried finding an answer to my questions online, by calling CAMEs, by calling NAVCanada, and cannot seem to find anyone who has experience with what I’m looking for.

Has anyone applied for a class 2 aviation medical certificate from Transport Canada with a history of substance abuse on their medical record? I have been taking suboxone for 3 years, and have not abused opiates or any other drugs in that time period. I found a document on the Transport Canada website that seems to state pretty clearly that any history of drug abuse is disqualifying. Do I have any hope of being approved? I can work towards getting off of the medication, but based on the timeline that I assume, I would probably be asked to begin my certification process around the same time that I stop, so there wouldn’t be much of a period between my stopping and my application.

Does anyone know if Transport Canada will consider my application? Is it possible that I could be approved with a letter from my family doctor or an evaluation from a psychologist / psychiatrist who specializes in addiction? Are Transport Canada themselves able to view my medical records? Or would that be done by the CAME during my medical examination?

I have done well enough to pass on all of the steps so far during my application, and I think that I would be good at the job that I am pursuing. I would like to know if my situation is totally disqualifying, or if there is a chance that I could receive the certification with additional documentation / possibly some additional restrictions like regular drug testing etc.

Thank you in advance - any advice from people who have experience with a similar type of application would be greatly appreciated.

This is the Transport Canada document that seems to say pretty clearly that any history of drug abuse is disqualifying:

https://tc.canada.ca/en/corporate-servi ... ertificate

[Suitcase]

Thank you for your input. I’m glad that my aptitude and fitness will be judged by NAV Canada and Transport Canada, and not by you.

any advice from people who have experience with a similar type of application would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: This comment was in response to someone who had posted a reply that was fairly judgemental and ultimately unhelpful. Their comment has since been deleted

[callou]

Ignore the person above, their opinion is irrelevant. The only person who can answer this question would be a CAME/Transport Canada. You could either call and ask or go through the process of trying to get a Cat 2 medical. That said, I think you may have a very difficult time holding a medical. Good luck!

[Suitcase]

Ignore the person above, their opinion is irrelevant. The only person who can answer this question would be a CAME/Transport Canada. You could either call and ask or go through the process of trying to get a Cat 2 medical. That said, I think you may have a very difficult time holding a medical. Good luck!

I appreciate you talking the time to respond. I’m afraid you may be right. I think I’m going to start the process ahead of an offer as even if I can be approved, it will likely take forever

[kevenv]

Easiest way to find out is pay for a Cat 2 medical now as callou said. I'm assuming you are younger and it is good for 2 years. You may have to pay to update/renew it at some point prior to training. At least you will know if you have a chance of getting hired.

[North Shore]

Congratulations on being clean for 3 years!

I suspect, though, that it might be an uphill battle to get a medical while you are using Suboxone.
IMHO, if you were completely clean (no sub) for 5 years, you might have a better case.

Good Luck!

[Suitcase]

Thank you North Shore. I appreciate the insight and the kind words

You may want to protect your privacy, but does the information in your response come from experience? Is 5 years a reliable number (roughly), or is that a guess?

I know that you may want to protect your privacy, and also there are no firm rules that can be pointed to about this and that you cannot say with certainty as it is up to TC’s discretion, my particular circumstance, doctors’ opinions, etc. Just wondering if that number comes from experience / knowledge of the process.

Thanks again

EDIT: I just noticed that you are a moderator. I will assume that you have quite a bit of knowledge / experience

[kevenv]

The following is a screen capture from the Handbook for Civil Aviation Medical Examiners.

[North Shore]

Thank you North Shore. I appreciate the insight and the kind words

You may want to protect your privacy, but does the information in your response come from experience? Is 5 years a reliable number (roughly), or is that a guess?

I know that you may want to protect your privacy, and also there are no firm rules that can be pointed to about this and that you cannot say with certainty as it is up to TC’s discretion, my particular circumstance, doctors’ opinions, etc. Just wondering if that number comes from experience / knowledge of the process.

Thanks again

EDIT: I just noticed that you are a moderator. I will assume that you have quite a bit of knowledge / experience

Suit, no practical knowledge or experience with this kind of issue. Just my opinion of our Canadian system. I figured that 5 years would be a long enough time to demonstrate real change..

Kevenv's attachment is of note.

[Suitcase]

Thank you North Shore and Kevenv. I also spoke to someone over the phone who was very helpful and guided me towards a TC Staff Instruction form which assigns a risk factor to various medications. I’m not sure if that person wants me to say who they were, but they very graciously spent 30 minutes on the phone with me and clearly had a lot of knowledge about all things aviation-related.

https://www.pilotmd.ca/wp-content/uploa ... CATION.pdf

It seems that the path forward for me is going to consist of making an initial consultation with a CAME, getting off of Suboxone with the help of my doctor for as long as possible before I apply for medical certification, reaching out to a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction to complete an evaluation, potentially starting therapy to signal a continued dedication to staying off of drugs, and crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. It looks like my chances could be quite slim of being approved, but I want to give myself as much of a chance as I can.

I hope that this thread can remain as a bit of a resource for anyone else looking for this information in the future. I think that I have learned as much as I can without actually going through the process itself or speaking to someone who has. It has been very hard to find any information about how this is going to go, even by calling Transport Canada and CAMEs. I called about half of the CAMEs offices in my area, and not one had dealt with a similar situation. Ultimately, it seems that TC deals with these issues on a case by case basis.

I understand that TC has a responsibility to err on the side of caution and does not want to certify anyone that is a potential risk to the public’s safety. I do not consider myself at risk of relapse, nor do I believe that my history has affected my ability to do the job that I am pursuing, but I will leave it up to Transport Canada to decide that.

[nrgxlr8tr]

Some doctors will fight for you more than others. I would suggest going on to the pilot part of this forum (cat 1 and 2 are very similar) and seeing what CAMEs in your area are the more litigious type.

[Suitcase]

Thanks nrgxlr8tr, that is good to know.

I will search for related threads in the Pilot section. I have called about 1/2 of the CAMEs in my area to ask if any have experience with similar applications, and so far no luck.

[final28]

Dr Adams at YBW Aeromedical, Springbank west of Calgary, is a CAME who does a lot of work in addiction medicine relating to aviation. He is always busy but might be worth a try.

[Suitcase]

Thank you for the tip. I have set up a consultation