Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My first question is to you, Mr. Salter.
But I first want to say, just like my colleague, Mr. McCallum, that this is a very sensitive matter because we have at play both economic interests and human rights issues. In other bills, things are not as clear-cut.
Mr. Salter, the U.S. seem to be determined to go ahead with their demands. You acknowledge that Canada is simply responding to an American requirement. What should we say to airlines such as Air Transat? Perhaps Mr. Lennox, from the Pearson airport, can also tell us what he thinks. What can we say to a carrier such as Air Transat when they tell us they will not be able to serve Central Canada or offer flights from Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton to Cancun and other southern destinations?
During the weekend, I thought about another aspect of the problem while talking to someone. Large carriers could say that they will bypass U.S. airspace and that they will take the Atlantic or Pacific air route to go south. However, this is not a Cessna taking off, it is an Airbus 380 or some other large chartered aircraft with passengers piled up like sardines. At takeoff and landing, they have to fly through U.S. airspace. What are we going to say to these carriers?