Good afternoon, Chairman and members of the committee.
My name is Massimo Bergamini and I am the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Airlines Council of Canada. With me today are Geoffrey Tauvette, who is the Director, Fuel and Development, with Westjet, as well as the co-chair of our association's environment committee.
The National Airlines Council of Canada was established in 2008 and still represents Canada's four main airlines: Air Canada, Air Transat, Westjet and Jazz Aviation.
Today in Canada, commercial aviation has become the only practical way for millions to travel to be with family, for work, to access basic necessities, or simply to explore our vast country.
The era of elite jetsetters is long past. The 2016 Canada Transportation Act review, also known as the Emerson report, recognized this in its detailed aviation chapter.
The Emerson report also recognized how mounting fees and charges risked making our industry uncompetitive, particularly vis-à-vis U.S. carriers operating in contiguous markets.
Two years later, not only has there been no progress in bringing down government-imposed costs, but a number of recent federal initiatives will drive up the cost of domestic air travel and cause more Canadians to buy American.
This brings us to the question before us today. How do we align the fundamental role played by commercial air travel in the lives of Canadians with the global imperative to curb carbon emissions?
This debate has been framed by some as a kind of Hobson's choice between two seemingly virtuous but contradictory propositions: putting a price on pollution and stopping a job-killing carbon tax. We reject that characterization.
The National Airlines Council of Canada fully supports putting a price on carbon—or as some prefer, a price on pollution—including on carbon emissions from commercial aviation.