Thank you.
Good morning. My name is Howard Bohan. I'm vice-president of operations and customer experience for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. I'm also here on behalf of the Canadian Airports Council. My colleagues are Toby Lennox, vice-president of corporate affairs and communications, and Normand Boivin, vice-president, airport operations and aviation development with Aéroports de Montréal.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to provide airports' perspective on aviation security. We also appreciate the time that the committee is taking to examine this critical issue. It is our view that an open dialogue on aviation security with key industry partners will help to produce an even more efficient and effective aviation security system. We will be pleased to answer any questions that the committee may have, both at this session and at any member's convenience.
The Canadian Airports Council was formed in 1992 as the federal government devolved control of airports to local private non-share corporations. Since that time, the CAC has evolved into the national representative for airports on a wide range of significant issues and concerns.
Canada's airports are engines for economic development in the communities they serve and are one of their most important elements of local infrastructure.
The CAC's membership represents more than 200 Canadian airports, including all of the national airports system airports and most passenger services in every province and territory.
Together, CAC members handle virtually all of the nation's cargo and international passenger traffic and 95% of the domestic passenger traffic. They create well in excess of $45 billion in economic activity in the communities they serve, and more than 200,000 jobs are directly associated with CAC member airports, generating a payroll of more than $8 billion annually.
Mr. Chairman, the airport community understands and supports the importance of aviation security. The safety and security of our passengers and air carriers is paramount. It is our first concern in operating the airports and informs everything we do. There is, in our view, a direct link between stable, dependable airport security and the health of the Canadian air transportation system.
It is very clear that attacks on aviation, even those not originating in or directed at Canada, have an impact on people's willingness to travel by air. Canada is a vast nation, where communities are linked to each other and to the wider world by our transportation system. Airports are mindful that the security of that transportation system is crucial to our economic and national well-being.
The thankfully failed attack of December 25 served as a serious reminder. We need to continually re-examine the current air security system to ensure that it adequately addresses risks and vulnerabilities, and that it is playing that foundational role in the economic success of Canada.
We therefore enthusiastically welcome the decision of this committee to conduct the current study and the decision of the Government of Canada to engage in a comprehensive national security review. It is entirely appropriate that we engage in this review, and we look forward to providing whatever assistance is necessary.
It is important to recognize that any discussion of aviation security should not simply examine and unpack what happened on December 25. Rather, the discussion should look forward to anticipate future threats in light of the significance of the economic importance of aviation security.
December 25 reminded us that the threat is very real, but also that we can no longer simply balance security with customer service. It is no longer a trade-off. The singular challenge we face is that we as an industry have to excel at both.
We must work together to find better, more efficient ways of identifying, assessing, and mitigating risk holistically, with a new appreciation for the impact on business and industry sustainability.