Transport Committee on Dec. 5th, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Thank you, and good afternoon. Welcome to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, meeting number 29. Orders of the day are pursuant to the order of reference of Thursday, September 21, 2006, Bill C-11, an act to amend the Canada Transportation Act and the Railway Safety Act and to make consequential amendments to other acts.

I don't think we need to introduce our guests. They are familiar faces around the table. When we left last committee, we were on clause 25. We had just carried an amendment submitted by Mr. Julian, and we are now dealing with the BQ-3 amendment. It's on page 19. Just for your records, I think in your amendment package it would be reference number 2459027.

So with that, I will go to Mr. Laframboise.

(On clause 25)

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

As you can see, the aim of this amendment is to add after section 85.1(5), subsections 6 and 7, which read as follows:

(6) The Agency shall, at least semi-annually, prepare a report to the Governor in Council through the Minister setting out the number and nature of complaints filed under this Part, including the names of the licensees against whom the complaints were made, and describing the manner in which they were dealt with and any systemic problems observed. The Agency shall include the report in its annual report. (7) The Minister shall have the report laid before each house of Parliament on any of the first five days on which that house is sitting after the Minister receives it or, if that house is not then sitting, on any of the first 30 days next thereafter that the house is sitting.

Finally, we would like the air travel complaints to be the subject of an independent report. Also, a semi-annual preliminary report should be included in the annual report to be tabled in the House within no later than 30 sitting days.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Thank you, Mr. Laframboise.

Are there comments around the table? Does the department have any comments on this amendment?

Go ahead.

[Brigita Gravitis-Beck, Director General, Air Policy, Department of Transport]

The department was prepared to table a compromise motion on this particular clause with respect to the motion put forward by the Bloc.

We believe that the issue raised by Mr. Laframboise relates to the transparency of complaint information. Our proposal would make things clearer, while providing a level of certainty.

May we hand out the copies of our draft compromise?

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Go ahead, Mr. Julian.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Chair, isn't it more appropriate...? There is no member moving the amendment—

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

I was looking at Mr. Jean, who actually gave me a hands-up. I just wanted to make sure that this paper was circulated before Mr. Jean addressed it. I should have asked him first. I apologize for that.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

I actually do have the paperwork, Mr. Julian, if it makes you happier. With all the intervention from me, Mr. Julian, I just feel like I talk too much, so I'm trying to keep my words limited to a reasonable amount.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

That gives me hope for today.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

Precisely.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Just for your information, we're dealing with clause 25, the second amendment by the Bloc, BQ-3, and it's on page 19 in your act.

Am I safe in assuming that everyone has a copy?

Mr. Jean, I'll ask you to comment, please.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

First of all, Mr. Chair, it seems to me that the department came up with this compromise because it seems reasonable in the circumstances, given the Bloc's concern.

But at the same time, the department feels that it would be appropriate, and, quite frankly, the government feels it is appropriate, to have all the details in the same report and to do so on an annual basis.

If you notice the wording, it seems to be very consistent with the wording the Bloc has put forward. Indeed, I would suggest that if you read the three together, the Liberal amendment, the Bloc amendment...this one takes a position of compromise and more or less uses the taxpayers' money in an advantageous way, having a reporting function once a year.

In essence, it compromises with the Bloc and at the same time puts forward some of the issues that the department feels are not being addressed. Those include the substantial new cost that would be addressed if indeed we had all of the reporting features done separately. So it certainly takes taxpayers into consideration.

I would like to make the comment as well, Mr. Chair, that the performance indicators are not related to the air travel complaints. If you take that and look at what the Bloc has proposed and what the government has proposed, it seems like a reasonable compromise that actually, quite frankly, deals with all the issues raised by the Bloc and the Liberals.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Mr. Laframboise, it is your amendment to start with.

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

If I understand what the parliamentary secretary is saying, you feel that it would be too much work and too expensive to table a semi-annual report. We can go along with that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Mr. Jean.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

It's not just that, but we also feel that the one report has already been read, and people don't have to go and look for another report and expect it to be in this one report. So if the one report is done annually, they'll expect everything to be contained within that report.

Not only would it answer the taxpayers, but there wouldn't be any way to sort of hide what you're interested in getting, which is actually the facts. They would be included in the report done annually, and then people would expect them to be in there and not in some other report and not hidden away.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Are there any other comments?

I am advised that because of the substantial changes, what Mr. Jean is proposing would not be seen as an amendment to the amendment. We would either have to have Mr. Laframboise withdraw his amendment to accept this one or put it on the floor for a vote and then bring this one forward as a stand-alone.

So I would ask Mr. Laframboise—

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

That's fine then, I will withdraw it.

(The amendment is withdrawn)

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Do we want to deal at the same time, Mr. McGuinty, with yours, to see if it's encompassing? You're okay? You're comfortable with it?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

I'm certainly in agreement. Sure.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

So we'll withdraw your amendment, or do you want to talk about your amendment first?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

I'd like to, please.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Yes, absolutely. If the committee is willing--because this amendment is going to encompass both the Bloc and the Liberals--I'd like Mr. McGuinty to put his comments on the record, and then if he's convinced that the new amendment is the right way to go, perhaps we'll go that way.

Mr. McGuinty.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

I guess the material difference here, Mr. Chair, is that what I am proposing introduces a tracking of airline performance indicators of the kind that are regularly tracked and disclosed to the American public under the FAA in Washington.

It adds to this part of the bill a higher degree of specificity in terms of what Canadians will receive either in the annual or in the original biannual report that was contemplated, including the percentage of on-time arrivals of flights, the amount of lost baggage, and the number of oversold flights that occurred in the preceding year, plus, of course, any systemic trends that were observed with respect to those matters. I see that the government has captured this intention in its wording here. At least the department has put it forward. I'm assuming that it has the government's acquiescence and support. It speaks also to the question of systemic trends.

I believe this would be important for Canadians. These seem to be the primary indicators they are looking for. I think we heard some of this from some of the witnesses.

I think it might also help assuage the concerns of some of the witnesses we heard from about the notion of the holus-bolus transfer of the air travel complaints commissioner into the agency, and I think it would drive up transparency and give Canadian consumers something for comparison.

I would think this is something that competing airlines would like to see. There's nothing like transparency in these areas to help focus the mind regarding how well you're doing running your airline company in a very competitive environment.

That was the thinking, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Are there any comments?

Mr. Fast.