Marc Garneau

[Air Transportation, March 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank my colleague for the question because it gives me the opportunity to reiterate that our highest priority is improving passenger service.

I think that people are beginning to notice that costs are going down and that they have more choice. They know we want to reduce the time it takes to go through security or customs. Furthermore, there will be a regime of rights for air passengers. That is what is important for our airports and that is what guides us.

[Air Transportation, March 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this offers me another opportunity to point out something that I began pointing out last November, and that is that it is of the highest priority that we improve passenger service in the country. We are trying to lower prices. We are trying to offer more choice. We are trying to reduce the amount of time to go through security, or to go through customs, and yes, we are committed to a regime of rights for air passengers. Those are the factors that guide us in our decisions with respect to airports and airlines.

[Infrastructure, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, again, our primary motivation is to give air passengers better choices. That is what motivates us most. We are working very hard to lower costs, give travellers more choices, and reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or customs. We want to acknowledge that passengers have rights. Improving passenger service is what motivates us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.

[Air Transportation, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, in terms of concrete measures, I am sure my colleague heard the fact that we made the decision last November to increase the international ownership in our airlines from 25% to 49% in order to increase competition. I also announced at that time a bill of rights or a rights regime to make sure that air travellers' rights would be taken into consideration. We are already beginning to see more competition. The prices are coming down. We are very glad that we are offering more service to our passengers. That is our intention and we are going to continue to do that.

[Air Transportation, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that what is most important for us is improving service to the air passenger. That is why we are working very hard to lower their costs, to give them more choices, more competition, to reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or through customs. We will even be giving them a bill of rights. That is what is motivating us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.

[Preclearance Act, 2016, March 6th, 2017]

You did.

[Preclearance Act, 2016, March 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the member if he is clear on the notion that U.S. customs officers in airport terminals will not be carrying weapons. They must comply with the same rules as the host nation, and customs agents in Canada do not carry weapons. I want to make sure that he understands that. I would like to hear if he does.

[Air Transportation, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as you know, decisions regarding aerodromes fall within federal jurisdiction.

However, I want to reassure my colleague that we are in fact consulting. That is part of our decision-making process. We must first ensure that the aerodrome will be safe, and second, that it is in the public's interest.

I issued a ministerial order last March regarding the Mascouche project, and I also encouraged the same procedure for the Saint-Cuthbert airport. We are following the procedures and we are consulting before making any decisions.

[The Environment, February 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, before a decision was made about the Mascouche airport, the proponent commissioned a Léger survey, which indicated that 64% of the people in the Mascouche and Terrebonne area were in favour of developing this airport. We did due diligence in the public interest.

[Aerospace Industry, February 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, the decision to build an airport anywhere in Canada falls under federal jurisdiction. Of course, the decisions I make when I review each case must be made in the public interest. I even issued a ministerial order last March in the case of the Mascouche airport. Airports need to be safe. Those are the criteria that we use. We want to encourage Canada's aviation industry.