Thank you very much. Good afternoon, everyone.
Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for inviting us to appear before you today. We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the work of this committee, particularly its role in promoting English and French and the vitality of official language minority communities.
My name is Lyne Chayer. I'm vice-president, guest experience and vacations, Quebec, for the WestJet Group. I am joined today by my colleague Mr. Tristan Joanette, legal counsel at WestJet.
At WestJet, we call our passengers guests. This choice reflects our desire to create a welcoming, respectful and humane experience where everyone feels welcome. In the Canadian context, this means providing quality service in both English and French, among other things.
Earlier this week, we had a constructive discussion with the members of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages on many of the issues that bring us together today. We are pleased to continue that discussion with the members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages.
In recent years, WestJet has undergone significant changes. The integration of Sunwing Airlines operations into WestJet, completed in May 2025, transformed our network and expanded our presence in several markets.
This integration with Sunwing represents not only a significant opportunity but also a responsibility. It leads us to review our practices, harmonize our methods and improve the experience offered to our French-speaking guests. It's in that context that WestJet has undertaken significant work to strengthen its French-language services, work that's already well under way in several areas of our operations. This work includes the flight experience, communications with guests, documents intended for travellers, services offered at airports and, more broadly, the overall travel experience. For us, it's not just a regulatory obligation but also an important part of the guest experience and the relationship of trust we want to build with French-speaking travellers across the country.
Allow me to provide some examples of the measures WestJet has implemented over the past year to improve its French-language services. We've taken steps to ensure that all flight attendants based in Montreal and those assigned to our seasonal base in Quebec City are bilingual. We've also updated our procedures for on-board announcements to increase the presence of French during the inflight experience. We've also updated the menus offered on board and the magazine provided during flights to ensure that the importance, appearance and accessibility of the content in both English and French is equal. We've improved the technological experience in French, particularly on our website. We've also improved the French-language services provided by phone. We've also reviewed and improved our signage procedures at airports. Internally, we're continuing to develop new language policies, including a general language policy and a policy on the use of technologies in French. We're also continuing work to establish a French language committee, in collaboration with our union partners.
This work is ongoing, but our commitment is clear and lasting. We want to continue making concrete progress to better meet the expectations of our French-speaking guests. Francophone communities, whether in Quebec, Acadia, Ontario, western Canada, the territories or elsewhere in Canada, expect to be able to travel and interact with Canadian carriers in their language. WestJet wants to continue being a constructive partner in the implementation of this new regulatory framework under the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and the draft regulations we'll be discussing today.
We also believe it is important that any regulatory framework in the area remain practical, flexible and adapted to the operational realities faced by airlines.
As we look to the future and consider WestJet's growing need for a bilingual workforce, we believe it's essential to continue promoting bilingualism across Canada and to strengthen access to French education and training from coast to coast. We see this challenge as a shared responsibility, and we want to continue working constructively with governments, communities and our partners to advance French-language services in the airline industry.
In conclusion, we're proud to be here today and to contribute to your discussion.
Once again, thank you for having us. We'll now be happy to take questions from members.
