Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this meeting.
I'm here as an expert in aviation and aeronautics and in all matters related to airport management. It is in this capacity that I am speaking today.
My primary objective is to make the honourable members of the committee aware that, in Canada, there is unfortunately a significant shortfall in the airport management system, despite the fact that we have a very good aeronautical system, that we are excellent aircraft manufacturers, that we have excellent airlines and that all the international aviation institutions are based here in Canada. This creates problems in terms of attracting tourists to the country as a whole and in terms of the smooth flow of passengers. This also poses a problem for scientific exchanges, scientists and committees. Finally, the fact that our airports are inadequate or dysfunctional causes other supply chain issues.
For several years now, there has been indecision regarding the governance model for airports in Canada, and so far, we have largely maintained the status quo. This is starting to pose an economic problem.
The idea is also to ask ourselves what role, collectively, as a nation, we want to assign to airports. That's more or less the point I wanted to make. The status quo is very damaging to the country. The question we must ask ourselves is this: What do we want to do with our airports? There's no strategy in this regard. The issue isn't limited to deciding whether we want a private or public entity. These days, there's talk of privatizing airports. This is an important issue. First and foremost, we need to know the purpose behind this and what we're aiming to achieve.
Does the way we view airports, as large-scale infrastructure projects that play a key role in economic development, require us to have a debate on this issue? The questions that will arise as a result are as follows: Are they private or public? Are they public in terms of governance? What about private operators? All of these elements can be on the table. We can be creative, but for now, the status quo is preventing us from moving forward.
We simply view airports as entities that generate revenue for the government. I have no problem with that, since it's a very good thing. We must also think of airports as drivers of economic development. From there, we can consider private or public models, or partnerships, as I mentioned earlier. The crux of my remarks relates to this. We cannot maintain the status quo. If we continue to approach airports in the same way—that is to say, if we lack a strategy or overarching direction for our airports—whether they're publicly or privately owned won't make much of a difference. The same problem will arise, but it will take a different form.
I urge the committee members to consider this crucial issue, which today is becoming an obstacle to economic development, at least in the aviation sector. Let me remind you that we're talking about several hundred thousand people and an increase of several tens of billions of dollars in gross domestic product.
I'll leave it there. I look forward to your questions.