Security procedures at Montreal's main airport are being reviewed after a Journal de Montreal reporter demonstrated how easy it was to gain access to restricted areas of the airport.

One day after the fifth anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Center towers in New York City by hijacked commercial planes, Fabrice de Pierrebourg wrote that he had easily gained access to restricted areas at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport in Montreal on seven separate occasions.

Journal de Montreal managing editor Georges Kalogerakis told CTV's Canada AM Tuesday that the newspaper performed the exercise as a public service.

"We've been shutting the front door of airports but the back door and side doors are completely open," he said. "Pilots have been saying that for years."

Although airport security has been increased for passengers, reporter de Pierrebourg twice gained access to the tarmac by slipping under the fence and simply walked into other restricted areas on five occasions.

The reporter was never asked to show identification. He was even able to open food in food preparation areas at Cara, which provides in-flight meals to airlines.

"It wasn't hard at all," Kalogerakis said. "One time, he just knocked on the door of one of the baggage handling companies and said 'I'm here to measure the wall outside,'" and they let him in.

The newspaper had a photographer outside the airport perimeter using a telephoto lens to record de Pierrebourg gaining access to the restricted areas. The only time the reporter was even approached by security was when someone noticed the photographer "and went over to see our reporter and said 'hey, there's a weird guy taking photos of you,'" Kalogerakis said.

Transport Canada, Aeroports de Montreal, and Cara have all said they're investigating the security breaches. Aeroports de Montreal president James Cherry said his organization is taking the breaches very seriously.

"Management of security at the airport is a shared responsibility," Cherry said in a press release. "Transport Canada establishes the rules and conducts regular inspections. Most of our tenants apply the rules strictly, but it has to be recognized that some may exhibit certain shortcomings."

Transport Canada sets the rules for airport security and local airport authorities such as Aeroports de Montreal are responsible for making sure airport tenants enforce them.

Former CSIS agent Michel Juneau Katsuya told Canada AM that while the news might be shocking to the public, it's not a surprise to authorities.

"This is a situation we've known for a long period of time," Katsuya said. "What we need to put into context ... is that the airport is a very complex environment to try to secure."

An airport "has a lot of activities," he said, "it has literally thousands of people who come and go every day who must service the plane, service the passengers and millions of passengers going in and out of the airport."

Katsuya noted that a Senate committee that examined the issue identified many gaps in airport security last year but there has been a lack of follow-up.

During hearings last year, Canada's Senate committee on national security and defence was told that baggage handlers, mechanics, caterers and other airport workers who have access to restricted areas are subjected to only random security checks when they arrive for work.

Transport Canada has said that background security checks are performed on workers before they are hired.

On a fact-finding mission in Europe last week, members of the committee discovered that Rotterdam has almost 290 full-time dedicated police officers working in its ports. Nineteen of Canada's designated ports have a total of 27 RCMP officers to patrol them. Halifax has seven.

The committee has asked for 7,000 new police officers across Canada. Ottawa has said it will hire 1,000.