—to the United States or the European Union demonstrates a certain amount of pre-screening. We think that should be a consideration for a less complicated entry into Canada.
As an example, does it make sense to treat a Chinese student studying at Harvard, who would like to visit Montreal for a weekend, with the same process we would apply to a potential visitor who has never travelled outside of his country? I think not.
I also want to talk about the transit without visa program. It's a program that allows travellers from certain Asian countries and cities, who are visiting the United States on certain airlines, to transit through Canada without a visa. The program has been successful, and there have been very few abuses or violations of the program, but there's a lot of room for its improvement.
Travellers connecting through Canada may not seem like they're a direct benefit to Canada and our economy, but they make viable international routes that may not otherwise be viable. On existing routes, they grow demand, which can grow capacity and competition. New routes bring more capacity and competition, which brings more travellers—