Good afternoon.
Mr. Chair, members of the committee, I am Lieutenant-General Eric Kenny and as of August, I have taken over as the new commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In this position, I am responsible for the RCAF's air and space force, in Canada and abroad.
In addition to air defence and search and rescue, one of the RCAF's missions is to provide safe and secure travel for what we call Very Very Important Persons or VVIPs including the Royal Family, the Governor General and the Prime Minister.
Upon a request to provide VVIP transport, the RCAF, as a service provider, coordinates all flight details to ensure the conduct of a safe and effective flight, including the provision of meal services in coordination with the GAC protocol office.
To fulfill this goal, the RCAF is responsible for supplying pilots and crews, maintaining security and safety in flight, determining logistics with foreign countries and air traffic controllers, pre-positioning aircraft if required, conducting fuelling and maintenance, and finally working with Global Affairs to select menus and provide catering.
During these flights, VVIPs are provided in-flight catering services, which the Royal Canadian Air Force works with Global Affairs Canada to confirm but which the RCAF is responsible for procuring and supplying. To do so, RCAF flight stewards will liaise with airport catering services to identify meal options and procure the selected menu for the flight.
In compliance with air safety regulations and to ensure the safety of members and crew, RCAF flight stewards verify that all catering services meet Canadian food safety standards and that any food bought and brought onto the flight is safe for consumption.
RCAF flight stewards work with airport catering services to establish options for a meal, which are presented to Global Affairs Canada for review and approval. Once a menu is finalized and approved by Global Affairs Canada, the RCAF procures the selected menu from the caterers.
Catering costs are influenced by multiple factors, especially considering the episodic nature of VVIP travel, sometimes to airports where the RCAF aircraft do not frequently travel. For example, the RCAF may be restricted to using a sole catering service. This results when airports restrict catering services to a single catering provider or when the Royal Canadian Air Force must use certain catering services abroad to ensure that food meets Canadian health and safety standards.
Additionally, foreign catering services may have restricted menu options, resulting in additional expenses if the desired menu is not readily available.
Finally, catering costs also include additional back-end fees, which are common to all airline travel. These include costs related to waste disposal, food delivery and handling and international exchange rates.
These additional fees are included in the catering costs, and are charged regardless of the number of passengers on board. Whatever the flight, we seek to find efficiencies and reduce costs, all the while ensuring safe and secure transportation.
More recently, we have worked to reduce certain costs related to meal services. We have joined forces to further identify ways, where possible, to reduce costs, while also working within the reality of catering services offered at airports worldwide.
I look forward to answering your questions.
Thank you.