Thank you for your question, Mr. Thériault.
I'd like to recognize the work done by Mr. Bergeron, Ms. Alleslev and Mr. Harris. During the pandemic, we were receiving calls weekly to deal with issues as they arose.
The cost issue is obviously an important one. It was a consideration from the outset. In a number of cases involving emergency repatriation, the circumstances were such that, in most countries, airlines that were working with Canada couldn't take passengers who had travelled to countries in Africa or India, as you mentioned.
The airfare ended up being the price of a return trip. I personally negotiated with Qatar Airways, among others. I also spoke to people at Ethiopian Airlines, who did a lot to help us bring back Canadians as cost-effectively as possible. I can assure you that, every single time, the Government of Canada was committed to making that happen, in the circumstances—I repeat, in the circumstances. It's important to understand that, as countries around the world were trying to bring home their travellers, we were dealing with an unprecedented operating environment. Even finding carriers willing to fly there was complicated. That's why we set up the $5,000 loan program. That's more or less in line with what the Americans did. Most countries took a cost repayment approach, because the demand was far beyond anything seen before in terms of repatriating citizens from abroad. We opted to do it through a loan. Some provided a credit, but most countries went with cost repayment.