Hello.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, for inviting me to speak with the Committee on this important issue.
I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered today on the traditional territory of the Algonquin and Anishinaabe Peoples.
I am joined today by representatives from Transport Canada:
- Craig Hutton, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy; and
- Nicholas Robinson, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security.
This winter, we saw extreme weather conditions that caused many Canadians to be stranded, have their flights delayed, or miss their holiday plans.
These delays and cancellations are incredibly frustrating and completely unacceptable.
Canadians deserve answers about what happened during the holiday travel season.
They also deserve to know what has been done to address those problems, and what our government continues to do to ensure it does not happen again.
That’s why I welcome today’s meeting as an opportunity to provide you with that information, and to answer your questions.
Canadians have always known that bad weather has the power to disrupt air travel.
But bad weather was only part of the equation during the holiday season.
Bad weather didn’t prevent travellers from being informed about what was going on when their flights were delayed or cancelled.
Nor did it explain why travellers weren’t made aware of alternative plans or the compensation they were rightfully due because their rights had been violated.
I was concerned then, and I remain concerned, by the experiences Canadians faced this winter.
It should never have happened.
The safety and efficiency of Canada's air sector is a priority of mine.
Upholding the rights of passengers is a priority of mine.
Supporting a competitive and resilient air sector is a priority of mine.
Our air sector was incredibly hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
And our government was there for them, supporting the sector and protecting jobs.
Last summer, as the air sector entered recovery from the pandemic and passenger volumes rose sharply, there were challenges.
So what did we do? We took action, and worked every day with airlines and airports to respond to those challenges.
That meant making quick adjustments to address bottlenecks at security screening and customs lines.
It also meant being transparent with Canadians, and issuing weekly updates on the situation at our airports.
As the weeks went by, we saw significant improvement in security screening wait times across the country.
Those improvements were possible in part due to the action we took in coordination with government agencies and industry, as well as increased staffing of key positions by airports, airlines, CBSA and CATSA.
And we are continuing to do this important work to ensure Canadians can travel safely, and smoothly.
Last fall, I brought together industry leaders, including airlines, airports, unions and passenger representatives in a summit.
I stressed the importance of avoiding what we saw during the summer and discussed how to further strengthen our sector.
Since then, we've made a lot of progress.
For example, when the holiday rush arrived, we did not see the long line ups we saw last summer at CATSA and CBSA screening lines.
But we know we still have more work to do.
We were the first government in Canadian history to put in place a set of air passenger protection regulations—in 2019, just a few months prior to the pandemic.
And when the pandemic exposed weaknesses in these regulations, we reinforced it—requiring last September that travellers be entitled to reimbursement for situations beyond the airlines’ control.
Are there further ways to improve the rules? Yes.
We will further strengthen and clarify passenger rights, and increase air carriers’ accountability.
While our government has, and will continue to work with the CTA to provide them with the resources they need to fulfill their mandate, we will also make changes to the regulations to improve their efficiency.
This includes, ensuring the burden of proof is shifted away from passengers, and onto the airlines.
Currently, passengers are too often told by the airlines that they are not entitled to compensation when they really are.
This situation has generated an avalanche of complaints to the Canadian Transportation Agency since last summer.
We are also looking at strengthening regulations on baggage.
I hope to be able to announce those changes to the regulations, and introduce legislation by the Spring.
I would also like to touch on the major disruptions VIA rail passengers faced during the holidays.
I spoke with VIA rail directly to let them know how frustrated I was on behalf of Canadians with their treatment of passengers and their handling of the situation.
While the extreme weather, highway closures and CN derailment was outside of their control, that is no excuse for the lack of communication, the poor response effort, and the unacceptable situation on board the trains.
Their emergency protocols are being reviewed and a full examination of what happened is underway. Our government will take action accordingly.
In conclusion, I want to tell you that our Government, along with industry, will continue to work together to ensure that the passenger experience is improved.
I would also like to take a brief moment to thank workers across the transportation sector for their hard work this holiday season, and each and every day.
Mr. Chair, that concludes my opening remarks.
I'll be happy to answer any questions that you or my colleagues may have.