Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Maurino, contrary to what you seem to be telling us, safety management systems aren't new to Canada. ICAO officials told us that the members of the association have been using SMS for four years now, and that these systems have resulted in fewer procedures and lower administrative costs. This association, which manages safety systems for 270 carriers and 500 corporate aircraft, believes that the both the paper burden and costs have been reduced as a result of SMS.
The fact is that Transport Canada has audited this association only once in four years. Another audit is scheduled to be done in the near future. Moreover, Transport Canada has not audited association members, whether airline owners or companies, since the SMS was implemented for this type of corporate aircraft.
That situation worries me, because the bill that was introduced does not guarantee any independent regulatory oversight. Could that give you cause for concern one day?