Evidence of meeting #47 for International Trade in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was airports.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Parm Gill Conservative Brampton—Springdale, ON
Thank you, Ms. Grewal.
One of the questions I have is regarding the ATA security and safety concerns. Do you feel these agreements actually address the security issues properly? Are there any areas of opportunity that you would like to bring to the attention of the committee?
5:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Aéroports de Montréal
I'm not aware of any specific issues in there with respect to security that would give us cause to be concerned. I know we're very diligent about which countries we fly to and which countries we allow service to be extended to.
I had personal experience when we extended the right to Air Algeria to fly to Canada. We were very diligent, and I thought our government did a great job of working through all the issues associated with having a flight to that part of the world; they were quite sensitive.
So no, I'm not aware of any particular aviation security issues that have been an impediment.
Jerry?
5:10 p.m.
Vice-President, Air Service, Marketing and Development, Halifax International Airport Authority
Nor am I, but the countries that we're targeting don't really pose....
I think it's more the visa perspective from Halifax; we keep looking at the Baltic countries, and I suspect as we pursue that there'll be visa issues.
5:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Aéroports de Montréal
I wanted to go back to an issue regarding cargo. One of the things people don't realize is that probably 60% to 65% of the cargo that goes in airplanes actually goes in the belly of passenger airplanes. When Mr. Staples refers to lift, it's that if we don't have passenger flights going to those places, there probably isn't lift going there for cargo either.
The key for us, and the real profit in the business, is to get passenger flights. The cargo usually flies free, or virtually free—“freeloads”, I should say—in the belly of those airplanes. That's where the real growth is.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Chrystia Freeland
Thank you very much, gentlemen.
We've just gone...almost up to eight minutes. I'd like to ask the committee for their shared view. We agreed last week that at the end of today's meeting we would spend 15 minutes instructing our excellent analysts on the report that they now need to write, or perhaps be instructed by them about it.
We could go ahead and do that now, or we could have a few more questions. What's the view?
5:15 p.m.
NDP
Laurin Liu NDP Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
I would like to eventually discuss our report. We could do it at a further meeting, if we don't have witnesses on Wednesday, but we do have a few recommendations to present to the committee on the report.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Chrystia Freeland
But would we like to do one more round of questioning or go straight to the report?
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Parm Gill Conservative Brampton—Springdale, ON
I think we're good to go from our side, at least, unless the opposition has more.
5:15 p.m.
NDP
Laurin Liu NDP Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
If we could move straight to the report, that would be fine with us.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Chrystia Freeland
Okay. We wouldn't get to me anyway, so that's okay with me too.
Thank you very much, Mr. Cherry and Mr. Staples, for fascinating testimony. We really appreciate your time.
Our meeting is now suspended, and we will go in camera.
[Proceedings continue in camera]
