Transport committee  What I would say is that we look very much at the level of activity in terms of complaints received. We also look at the report made annually by the agency--the most recent report is for 2005 activity--that reported on satisfaction levels in terms of how complaints were handled.

Transport committee  Most of the documentation is available in the annual report most recently tabled by the Canadian Transportation Agency. It included a chapter on the complaints over the last year. Those are the most recent data available, and the report does provide some year-over-year comparison

Transport committee  On the air side, I would refer to two areas. To begin my remarks, I would say that we've worked closely with the air industry in terms of its associations. We've worked closely with the agency in terms of its experience with carriers in a range of areas, and we have tried to bu

Transport committee  There are a number of recourses. The public can always write to the minister to bring issues to his attention, but the minister will refer to the process that is in place, which allows complainants to go to the agency and to raise concerns. Concerns with respect to particularly p

Transport committee  They would go to the complaints program, which is available, I believe, on the agency website. Certainly anyone who approaches Transport Canada or the Minister of Transport is referred to the agency, the website, the toll-free number to register the concern. We also encourage all

Transport committee  I would like to respond in English; it is a bit easier for me. The regulatory approach for us is always one that allows more flexibility to changing circumstances: changing circumstances in the marketplace, changing circumstances in terms of behaviours that may be all right toda

Transport committee  The agency, through its complaints program, would manage the complaint initially on an informal basis. I will not vouch for the size of its current staff. I don't know exactly the size of the office that deals with complaints; I believe it's in the order of four individuals.

Transport committee  I believe so. We don't have the exact statistics, so I'm not going to hang my hat on that. These people would investigate first with the carrier, if that has not already been done, to see if those complaints can be addressed. Those are the level-one considerations: working firs

Transport committee  What my staff has just passed to me is that there may be as many as 17 to 20 staff, but they aren't totally dedicated to the informal function, so the number of players who would look at any one issue on a regular basis varies. You asked how long it would take; I think it also

Transport committee  I would encourage you to put that question to the agency directly. I don't know what their internal indicator or performance measure is for a satisfactory response.

Official Languages committee  As the minister said, the rate of complaints relative to the total number of passengers who use Air Canada's services is very low. I understand that it's hard to say whether that includes all complaints that exist or can exist. However, there's now a mechanism in the policy, leg

Official Languages committee  I believe the minister tried to answer that. In the proposed bill, we're trying to do everything possible within the area of federal jurisdiction to maintain the obligations that existed before the restructuring. That's our objective with this bill.

Transport committee  Most operators that would use this service would use it on a cyclical basis. That's the whole nature of seasonality. Again, if we are going to treat those operators whose business is of a cyclical nature in the same way as we would treat an ongoing venture, it drives up their cos

Transport committee  The entire nature of a seasonal business is just that. I think communities welcome, benefit, and appreciate that business. I think there's generally a very good rapport between seasonal business operators and the community because of the interdependence of their activities. Tha

Transport committee  The clause we're looking at pertains to an exemption from the normal notice proceedings for seasonal operators. Rather than approaching the community and giving 120 days' notice, normally, a seasonal operator would approach the agency and seek an exemption from that requirement o