I have no trouble understanding Mr. Ménard's concern. I would like to respond to the questions raised by Mr. MacKenzie. If a parent wants to travel to the United States with a child, either by car or by plane, that parent must have the authorization from the other parent to do so, even though the child has a passport and is accompanied by one of the two parents.
For many years, my family and I welcomed foreign students into our home, students from other countries who lived with me in Quebec. When I had to travel, for instance to the United States, or when these students returned home by plane, we had to provide evidence that this young person, who was a minor, was authorized to travel. I believe that Mr. Ménard's concern lies with situations in which a minor will travel by plane on his own and without the authorization of a parent. Or that child might be travelling with an adult and nevertheless be a runaway, and be accompanied by an adult who does not have parental authority over that child. I think this type of situation happened in Quebec before Christmas, and it might happen again and be very dangerous. Even though it might seem complicated, I think it is the duty of our committee to ensure that children travel safely. I wholeheartedly support my colleague's motion. I believe we must protect children and there is a simple way to do so, namely by requiring that any minor who travels must have parental consent to do so.