As passengers at some of Canada’s largest airports still face delays and even flight cancellations, the federal government says it is adding resources in an attempt to help ease travel woes.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has hired more than 850 employees in recent weeks to help deal with delays and get passengers to their gates faster.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra told reporters on his way to attend the weekly Liberal caucus meeting that the federal government is working on new measures to help ease delays at major airports, adding that a “similar phenomenon” is happening worldwide.

The minister says working groups including airports, airlines, public health, and federal officials meet three times a week to try to find solutions.

But when pressed for details on when changes might be expected, Alghabra said he is not yet ready to announce new measures.

"We in government are evaluating and reassessing. We’re receiving advice from our stakeholders. There will be new measures announced soon."

Alghabra said the federal cabinet regularly discusses mandates as they did throughout the pandemic, and “sometimes we make adjustments.”

Alghabra said, “It’s also important to note that this phenomenon is happening at airports around the world.” “I’m not saying this to abdicate our responsibilities here.”

The goal, the minister says, is to smooth out problems before the busy summer travel season begins in the coming weeks. He refused to say whether the new measures would include dropping the vaccine or mask requirements.

The Conservatives have called on the government to lift travel restrictions, which require anyone returning from abroad to confirm their vaccination status, end the use of the ArriveCan app, and stop random COVID-19 testing at airports.

People traveling through Canadian airports have suffered long lines and flight delays with travel picking up after the pandemic, especially at Toronto Pearson Airport.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the Canada Border Services Agency and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority are hiring new staff, adding it is important that airports also ensure they have enough personnel.

Mendicino said Tuesday: “Since the pandemic curve has gone down, travel has increased 700 or 800 percent, in that range.”

“At this time, the latest statistics we have are that only about three percent of all travelers at Pearson and Vancouver International are waiting more than half an hour.”

The Canadian Airports Council issued a statement Monday calling again for an end to the vaccine mandates for travelers and aviation workers, saying “there is now a different standard” for these travel groups coming from all over the world.

In an interview last month, the council’s interim president Monique Boudreau said random testing and public health questions at customs mean processing people takes four times longer than it did before the pandemic.

She added that was fine when people weren’t traveling, but it has now become a serious problem because airports simply don’t have the physical space required to accommodate long groups of people.

Editing: Dima Abu Khair