House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 54% of the vote.
Public Safety April 3rd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, as I said, as Minister of Transport, I want air transportation to be secure, and I want the public to feel it is secure.
We have a robust system in place to ensure that it is secure. We review it daily. We also monitor the people working in secure areas of airports every day to ensure they are reliable and can continue to work there. We have mechanisms in place to ensure airport security and—
Public Safety April 3rd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, what I want my hon. colleague to understand is that we are vigilant. We watch all of the employees who are in the secure areas, and when we discover that they may be going to websites or becoming radicalized, we take action. We immediately remove their security clearance. That is what has to be done to ensure that the people working in the secure areas of the airport for passengers, and on the tarmac, are people we can reply upon. That is why we are vigilant on a daily basis.
Public Safety April 3rd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Transport, I take security at our airports extremely seriously. Not only do we have a system in place that is secure, we also want to make sure that Canadian travellers feel that they are in security. I want to say that we have a very robust system in place. In the last two years, we have either prevented 1,100 people from being hired to work in secure areas or we have removed their security clearance. We are vigilant on a daily basis so that Canadians can feel they are in security, and we will continue to be vigilant about it.
Public Safety April 3rd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, we already have a robust system in place.
People working in secure areas have a red security clearance and were subjected to a rigorous screening process by our security agencies prior to hiring. Every day, every 24 hours, we check to see that nothing has changed. If something changes, we take immediate action. Our security system is in good hands.
Public Safety April 3rd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Transportation, I want our airports to be safe and I also want our travellers to feel safe. That is why we implemented a robust security system. People working in our airports' secure areas are checked daily. We dismissed some people because we did not find them to be trustworthy. We will continue to be vigilant. Our security system is extremely important.
Official Languages March 22nd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, bilingualism is very important to our government, as is respect for official languages. Federal services must be provided in accordance with the Official Languages Act.
Airport security is important and CATSA does good work, but it must also do so by providing service in both languages with courtesy and respect, of course.
Fisheries and Oceans March 22nd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, occasionally incidents such as this do happen, and we have made it clear to the owner of the ship that it is responsible for the cleanup, and we will make sure that it does happen.
Official Languages March 21st, 2017
Mr. Speaker, bilingualism and the Official Languages Act are extremely important for our government.
Federal services must then be provided in both official languages. We take that very seriously. We are of course responsible for safety in our airports, but we insist that it be done with respect and courtesy, and in accordance with the Official Languages Act.
Questions on the Order Paper March 20th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada’s top priorities are safety and security. Transport Canada’s primary mission is to serve the public interest by promoting a transportation system in Canada that is safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally responsible.
The minister does not approve projects. Rather he will, according to subsection 4.31(1) of the Aeronautics Act, make an order prohibiting the development or expansion of a given aerodrome or any change to the operation of a given aerodrome, if, in the minister’s opinion, the proposed development, expansion, or change is likely to adversely affect aviation safety or is not in the public interest.
Transport Canada is aware of the concerns that can arise in relation to the development of new aerodromes across Canada, including the project that is currently being developed within the municipalities of Mascouche and Terrebonne.
This is what notably motivated the Minister of Transport’s decision on March 4, 2016, to issue a ministerial order under the Aeronautics Act to prohibit the development of all new aerodromes in the cities of Mascouche and Terrebonne and to require the Corporation de l’aéroport de Mascouche, the Corporation, to hold a full public consultation on the project. The Corporation complied with the requirements of the order and sent Transport Canada all of the comments and documents—including the ones from the Cities of Mascouche and Terrebonne—that were submitted as part of the formal consultation process.
The department thoroughly examined all of the documentation and arguments submitted with regard to the project, both positive and negative, as well as the mitigation measures proposed by the Corporation, in order to address the population’s concerns.
A number of factors were considered in the project’s overall evaluation, including compliance with regulatory requirements, aviation safety, the project’s economic impact, environmental protection, and public and private interests.
The department conducted on-site verifications, reviewed the preliminary plans and the report on the public consultation held by the proponent, as well as the obstacles, all in accordance with TP312, Aerodrome Standards and Recommended Practices, and TP1247, Land Use in the Vicinity of Aerodromes in effect.
This thorough review of the project allowed Transport Canada to ensure that flight operations will be conducted safely, while having a significant economic impact on the region. To illustrate this last point, the former Mascouche airport’s flying schools employed over 50 people and trained some 185 students in 2016. Over the past two years alone, Transport Canada has issued 116 private pilot licences and 63 commercial pilot licences to candidates from these schools.
There are no public funds involved in this project. The department’s work related to the matter has not incurred any additional costs beyond those for regular operations.
It should be noted that part III of the Canadian Aviation Regulations, subpart 7(307), on consultations for aerodrome work, came into effect on January 1, 2017. Therefore, under these regulations, aerodrome proponents must now consult the interested parties and the communities before developing a new aerodrome or before making major physical changes to an existing aerodrome. No amendments to these regulations or to the department’s evaluation process are currently planned.
Air Transportation March 20th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, last week we announced government measures to make recreational drone flying safer, both in the skies as well as on the ground.
We put in place some measures that took effect immediately last Thursday. These are interim measures, until such time as we come out later this year with permanent measures to make our skies and the ground safer.