Evidence of meeting #11 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was jobs.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
I would like you to give me an answer other than by talking about jobs. We are familiar with the issue of jobs. We would like to be told about other details that could help us.
General Secretary, Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec
We represent employees, not shareholders of the companies.
In Canada, before privatization, this public carrier guaranteed jobs for Canadian workers. The government decided to agree to the privatization of Air Canada on certain conditions, including that aircraft maintenance be kept in three large cities in the country in order to preserve jobs. What was true in 1988 is still true today.
Québec Coordinator, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
I agree completely with Mr. Cadieux, but you are asking us why a restriction would be imposed on Air Canada, which is trying to compete with companies like WestJet.
I wonder about something. At present, the government is delaying giving assistance to Bombardier, which is a private company, saying—and I have nothing against this—that it wants to protect and guarantee jobs before giving it money. That is what the government is saying.
Well, Air Canada is also a private company. There is a guarantee of jobs in legislation, and now they want to remove it. I do not understand that.
In terms of competition with other companies, Air Canada often talks about the fact that the competition is coming from China and other countries. If we consult the International Civil Aviation Organization, we can see that over 60% of carriers are companies that are more than 50% public.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
I'm going to have to interrupt. We've taken a minute out of Mr. Badawey's time already. I'm trying to be lenient to make sure that our machinists have an opportunity to get really important points across. I'm not trying to give anybody extra time. I just want to make sure that you get your points across.
Mr. Badawey.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Thank you, and no problem. I think we're all of the same mindset here. We're all in the same train of thought here. I want to keep running with this because I think it's important to come to these solutions, and that's what we're trying to do, to draw out of you what can we do. We're all on the same page here. We're all trying to get to the same end result.
With that, it's not just what we're talking about today; it's trying to have the industry be sustainable too so that you guys don't have a five- or ten-year contract and you can be here for 25, 30, or 50 years down the road. So let's try to be sustainable here and ask what can we actually do to do that. How can we accomplish that?
My first question is this: four years after Aveos went bankrupt, what would you say is the status of the training and recruitment of the aircraft maintenance industry?
Québec Coordinator, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
I can tell you right now about the province of Quebec. I can't speak for the whole country, but I know the two witnesses yesterday told you that there was a bunch of people who are being trained out west. I can tell you there are about 600 people right now in schools hoping to get some of those jobs, and if they're not there when they come out of school, then we're going to start having problems.
Liberal
Québec Coordinator, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
We have people coming down the pipeline.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Okay. Thank you.
With respect to the aircraft maintenance sector, do you see it growing right now, stagnating, or dropping?
Québec Coordinator, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
It is growing everywhere in the world. We're not taking our fair share of it here. It isn't growing here.
Liberal
Québec Coordinator, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
It's not growing.
Liberal
Québec Coordinator, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
Yesterday you were told that in certain sectors it is, but overall we're not doing as much as we used to do.
Liberal
Québec Coordinator, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
I don't have the exact statistics, but I can tell you that we don't have as many jobs now as we did before.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
So it's not growing.
I have a second question, and I want to drill a bit deeper now.
In response to some of the questions that I asked earlier, the sense I was getting in some of the communication I was getting back from Air Canada and others was that some of the contracts that were actually being let out and being bid on were not being bid on by Canadian maintenance companies. Why?
Québec Coordinator, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
I would just say that I don't think that's what I understood. What I understood is that they didn't know who bid on it.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
I've been told point-blank that some of the contracts that were being let out were not being bid on by any Canadian companies. Why is that?
President and Directing General Chairman, District Lodge 140, Richmond, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
There are Canadian companies that are interested in bidding on some of that work. They haven't had an opportunity to bid on that work, but there are companies such as Premier that are interested in performing some of that work.
I'd also like to speak on one other piece in relation to your question about growth in the industry. There has been no growth in the overhaul sector. That needs to be clear.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Let's go back to that last question. Why didn't these companies bid on these contracts?
Québec Coordinator, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Canada
Some of these companies do bid. You've been told point-blank, but from our understanding, from the information we have, some of these companies bid on some of that work.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Going back to the question, for those contracts that had no Canadian companies bid on them, is there a reason they did not?
I don't know. I'm asking the question. I'd like to know why. Is it labour-related? Is it...?
Official Spokesperson, Association des anciens travailleurs des centres de révision d'air Canada
Let's talk about general overhaul companies.
In Quebec, the focus has been mainly on parts repair, but the hub is the aircraft hangars.
At present, Premier Aviation has a small base. We are asking to become as competitive as Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Lufthansa, which represent Air Canada's wall of fame. Very simply, we are asking the government to act as arbitrator when it comes to costs. We are prepared to start up that kind of company again. However, we are asking the government to agree to look at what is being done in France, not by foreign subsidiaries in Costa Rica or El Salvador, but by French workers who pay taxes in France and who contribute money to the public treasury.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
I get that, and that's what we're trying to do here. We're talking from the same page.