Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, for the opportunity to appear today in support of Bill C-42.
My name is David Goldstein, and I am president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
By way of introduction, the Tourism Industry Association is the only national organization that represents the full cross-section of the tourism and travel industry in Canada. Our members include those who are directly involved in the aviation sector, such as airlines and airports, but our perspective goes beyond the economics of aviation in Canada. We are here to explain the importance of the ripple effect it plays on the broader Canadian economy, as we represent over 8,000 direct and affiliate members across the country from coast to coast to coast, who in turn represent over 1.6 million Canadians whose jobs depend on the economic impact of tourism in Canada.
In the interests of ensuring we continue to work towards a safe, efficient, and cost-effective air transportation system, TIAC supports Bill C-42, which will put Canada in compliance with the U.S. Secure Flight program by transmitting passenger information to the U.S. prior to the departure from Canada of any aircraft that will traverse U.S. airspace in the course of its flight to a destination outside the U.S. That deals with outbound flights as much as it deals with inbound flights coming into Canada.
In this context, TIAC welcomes the negotiation of an exemption for domestic flights as they pass through U.S. airspace.
Flights that will be affected by Bill C-42 are important to the tourism sector. The Americas, excluding the U.S., represent a significant market for us. The region includes two of the Canadian Tourism Commission's key target markets—Mexico and Brazil—and overall, 615,000 travellers from the Americas spent $764 million in Canada in 2008.
Nearly all of these visitors fly to get here. We've attached some information in a chart appended to our submission. If Canada does not pass Bill C-42, the best case would mean use of alternative routes that go around U.S. airspace, and the worst case would see these flights grounded.
Use of alternative routes will mean longer travel times, higher costs, and increased environmental impact. Sixty-five per cent of visitors from the Americas fly directly to Canada--that is, through U.S. airspace--but do not stop in the U.S.
If Canada chooses to narrowly define its sovereign right to refuse the U.S. request to supply passenger information for flights through U.S. airspace, this will change the economic model for flights and for Canadian tourism. Consequently, these travellers are likely to choose other destinations that would not require them to make stopovers or long flyovers.
Since 30% of travellers from the Americas arrive here via the U.S., assuming they take the same type of route to get home, their personal information is already being transmitted to the U.S. before they fly anyway.
The U.S. has a sovereign right to control its airspace, and entry into sovereign territory constitutes agreement to abide by the laws of the state that governs it. It only makes sense that Canada would wish to maintain its access to U.S. airspace.
Taking these two things as given, TIAC hopes the committee will choose to support Bill C-42.
I thank the committee for its time, and I welcome your questions.