Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My question is for Mr. Prud'homme. You talked earlier about the Magdalen Islands. In fact, in the Magdalen Islands, the airline serving that region was selling more seats than there were in the aircraft, and in the end, passengers regularly had to stay behind at the airport because it was the only means of transportation.
I agree with Mr. Laframboise that the bill does not make sense. However, that is not the issue.
I have been an MP for 10 years and I must tell you that I have given up on the idea of flying from Ottawa to Montreal and then on to Mont-Joli, etc.—the service has practically been eliminated in Mont-Joli—because there was a connecting flight in Montreal or in Quebec City and I was missing it on a regular basis. Personally, I have had a lot of problems dealing with airlines. In my region, in the Magdalen Islands, the transportation system was abysmal. However, we cannot blame the airports or NAV CANADA, but the carriers were responsible for what was happening in the Magdalen Islands. I am not talking about small and medium-sized companies. I understand there is a difference between your association and the companies involved.
Also, I understand your position on the bill, when you say that complaints have to be addressed to the transportation agency. If you ask the people in the Magdalen Islands where and to whom they can complain, they will not answer that they should go to the transportation agency, because they do not have any idea. So they complain first and foremost to the airlines or to the media.
I am looking at your statistics about new complaints. If there was a complaints clerk in the Magdalen Islands, your statistics would triple because people do not know where they can file their complaints. Of course, they will turn to the media, or to their member of Parliament. I am not talking about your members, but about large carriers. Personally, coming from that region, if I had wished to file some complaints, I would have filed perhaps one or two per month. Also, I have a lot of difficulty with your statistics. I am not in favour of the proposed bill and I know that it cannot be amended.