I want to thank Mr. Jean for his generosity in allowing me to speak first.
Quite clearly, to bring the other agencies into a discussion of airline passenger rights is a very risky proposition. It's one thing to set up the relationship between an air carrier and its passengers. It's another thing to set up the relationship between Nav Canada, airport managers, airport authorities, and the Department of Transport, with obligations to maintain safety away from the carriers. The thought of a situation where the regulators would be responsible for the cost to the consumer over the decisions they were making about whether a plane would fly or not, whether the conditions on an airport were safe or not, whether any other thing came into it, seems to me almost.... It's a dangerous situation not to have authorities at airports in charge of aviation, authorities who can make a final and definitive decision about whether a plane will fly or not, with no concern about whether they're going to be held responsible in court to uphold that decision.
That's where I would differentiate from the Bloc's position. I don't want regulators to have any doubt about their ability to make decisions for aircraft based on anything other than safety, not on any apprehension that they may be held liable for cost. That is not the way you want to run an aviation system.
Now, the air carriers are responsible to their passengers in a different fashion. They may make decisions to cancel planes more for monetary purposes than for safety purposes, or anything else. I gave evidence of one that occurred to me not a month ago. Those are the types of things people are most concerned about.
To suggest that we're going to enter into a system where the authorities that define the safety and safe flying of aircraft would be in any way responsible for damages because of interrupted flights I think is where you do not want to go.