Is it really like that with Transport Canada?? oh dear, perhaps ill think of takin my commercial elsewhere then!
Transport Canada is a bureaucracy, like all bureaucracy's as they expand they become more powerful and less accountable.
Having flown in so many countries I lose track and having held licenses or authorizations to fly their aircraft in several different countries ( Canada, USA, CASA, South Africa and JAR ) I can from experience truthfully say that under the present management TCCA is just marginally better than some African countries as far as their moral compass goes at the top.
At least in Africa they have some excuse for being corrupt, however in a country such as Canada that is supposed to be a democracy it is rather chilling to find out just how it is run at the top.
It would be highly unlikely you would ever be personally affected at the level of contact you will have with TCCA.