Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Human Factors; Procedure
While on Initial arrival segment in descent talking with Toronto Center I was the Pilot not Flying (NFP); airspace became clogged. Center began issuing us vectors 'to spin us once around' before sending us in. During these vectors we were cleared to descend to 13;000'. We were given what I felt was an ambiguous clearance; and I directly queried the English as a Primary Language controller. 'You want us to turn direct to next arrival fix descend now to 12;000; and then cleared to descend via the star?' He stated affirmative. Approaching the fix he turned us over to Toronto Approach. We passed the 12;000 fix and began a descent. At an Altitude of less than 11;500'; Toronto Approach recleared us to descend to a lower altitude and asked if we had left 12;000. I stated we had and the controller stated in Canada; all descend Via Altitude's are given by controller. I asked if he would file any paperwork and his response was yes; they have had hundreds of violations in the past week due to a recent ICAO phraseology change.When we asked if we were cleared to descend via the star; the controller replied 'affirmative'.Even though we briefed it; due to off airway vector; and then ambiguous clearance while off airway; we queried the controller with more concise and direct language. Our interpretation of descend via is different than Canadian interpretation; due to a recent ICAO language change; in 2 countries whose primary language is English.[Manufacturers] training pilots that upon hearing the words 'descend via'; a pilot should set the lowest publish altitude in the altitude window for a managed profile descent. This was also a contributing factor to the language interpretation and phraseology misinterpretation.Both pilots were on day 1 of a new base and [a] new route that neither had flown.Critical Flight information to be appended to [Company] message; so that future crews understand descend via only means 'meet the speeds'; not the altitudes. Only descent to an arrival altitude when cleared to a specific altitude. Republish in [Company] messages for all crews. Add ICAO language phraseology changes to distance learning with a question to test for understanding. Languages instituted less than 8 days prior; and controller stating 'hundreds' was very disconcerting.Require a Verbal Prebriefing with the dispatcher 'noted on release' to review this language and this provide additional guidance and reinforcement about the verbal language trap and what not to do.
[Report narrative contained no additional information.]
Flight crew reported an altitude deviation on a STAR into CYYZ and were informed in Canada a 'descend via' clearance only means speeds not the altitudes.