Thank you, Mr. Chair.
During your presentation, you mentioned that you were here in November, when you gave a presentation on the safety system. That is true, you spoke to us about the improvements that had been made.
However, you failed to mention that since November, we have learned from a report released by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada that 12 airplane accidents that led to 28 deaths were caused by pilot fatigue. I am not sure if you are aware that you failed to mention that, but I think this shows a problem.
Upon listening to, looking at and reading the statements by Mr. Eley, director general of Civil Aviation, we learned that Transport Canada received a report in 2001 that recommended adjusting pilots' schedules based on their circadian rhythms. Mr. Eley said that Transport Canada never followed through on those recommendations. He admitted that the recommendations did not elicit much interest at the time and they were not part of Transport Canada's priorities. What he said is important.
Was Transport Canada focusing too much on safety management systems, when it should have been paying more attention to pilot fatigue? That would be a reasonable conclusion, based on what Mr. Eley said.
You had some other concerns, besides pilot fatigue, which is troubling. Indeed, you are telling us that you are the global leader in safety management systems. I have already had the opportunity to tell you that we thought you wanted to reduce costs by handing this management system over to private enterprise. You have since changed your position. You just told us that you will be putting more emphasis on your oversight role over the next few years, but I cannot help but think you have overlooked a big part of safety, namely, pilot fatigue.
Please try to reassure me.