Knowing how many refunds have been issued is more difficult.
When we appeared before the transport committee in December, our very conservative estimate was that there were about $3.89 billion worth of refunds among the Canadian airlines owing to 3.89 million passengers. As with every other estimate, this is based on data that we interpolate, because you may remember that Air Canada outright refused to provide numbers when they were asked by another House of Commons committee. Initially there was a lack of transparency, which is troubling on the one hand. Those airlines are seeking help from the public purse, yet we have not seen clear numbers and clear data on how much money they owe to passengers or how many passengers are affected.