Thank you very much, Mr. Coderre. I am speaking very fast, you're right.
As I said, according to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, all Canadians have mobility rights, including the right to enter, remain in, and leave Canada, as well as mobility rights regarding residence and pursuing a livelihood--section 6.
Likewise, the charter affirms that every individual is equal before the law and has a right to equal protection and equal benefit without discrimination, and in particular without discrimination based on race, national origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability--section 15.
I note that the regulatory changes made to the Aeronautics Act in 2011 appear to affect mobility rights and as well place an unequal burden on transgender, transsexual, and gender-nonconforming Canadians on the basis of sex.
Furthermore, according to the Canadian Human Rights Act, section 5, 1985, it is a discriminatory practice in the provision of goods, services, facilities, or accommodation customarily available to the general public to differentiate adversely in relation to any individual on prohibited grounds of discrimination.
I note that access to air travel within or beyond Canadian borders is a service customarily available to the general public, notwithstanding the sex of the person travelling. I also believe that requiring airline personnel to assess whether an individual does or does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents is subject to substantial latitude, an inconsistent application that presents an unfair burden to airline personnel, as their attempt to comply with the Aeronautics Act may conflict with the sex discrimination provisions in the Canadian Human Rights Act.
I would just like to conclude by saying that since the news broke on Sunday of last week my office has been flooded with calls and e-mails from transgender communities across Canada. As my colleague said, the trans community is very concerned and they feel it isn't right, that it is in fact discriminatory. So I would ask you to please make corrections in these regulations.
Thank you.