Good morning, Madam Chair and fellow committee members.
My name is George Vilven. I would like to thank you for allowing me to appear here to put a human face on what this bill is all about. Because of the time constraints, I will cover some of the major points but would encourage you to read my submission. I believe you will find it interesting how Air Canada and its pilots' union treat their employees and their fellow pilots.
When I started my complaint in the year 2003, I was told by the Canadian Human Rights Commission that it would take approximately a year and a half from start to finish. We are now going into the eighth year.
The union is telling its membership that this is far from over. It plans to appeal it to the Federal Court, to the Federal Court of Appeal, and on to the Supreme Court. Once again, the union is telling its members that this is far from over.
A large part of the Canadian population believes that mandatory retirement is no longer in existence. Yet it is alive and well in the federal labour code.
Here are some interesting facts. Air Canada is the only airline in Canada that does not allow its pilots to fly past the age of 60. WestJet, Air Transat, and Skyservice all allow their pilots to fly past the age of 60, and some allow it beyond the age of 65. All 45,000 American airline pilots.... United, Continental, and American Airlines also allow their pilots to fly up to the age of 65.
In 2006, ICAO changed the rules that allow captains to fly overseas up to the age of 65. British Airways, Qantas, Air New Zealand, and El Al, to name but a few, are all flying up to the age of 65, and some beyond.
Yet Air Canada, in a letter, stated to its employees who wanted to continue the option of flying that it will not stop until ordered to do so.
I have paid a huge personal price to pursue this complaint. I have been harassed. I have been threatened. I have lost family friends—I guess they weren't friends. My wife refers to this as the gift that keeps on taking.
I have detailed what happened to me at a retirement party in Winnipeg in the year 2006. I have included this in my submission. I believe you might find it interesting and sad what happened to me at this retirement party.
I can say unequivocally that I was a much better pilot when I was forced to leave the company than when I arrived. And why is that? Experience does count. Training and the mentoring of fellow pilots adds up to the fact that over the 20 years a lot of things were learned.
In closing, I would like to say that for the majority of the pilots at Air Canada, other employees at Air Canada, and the remaining 800,000 employees covered by the federal labour code, this request is now almost exclusively in your hands.
I would be more than happy to answer your questions, if you have any.
Thank you, Madam Chair.