Evidence of meeting #126 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 airline.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Air Canada Captain (retired), Director, Northern Lights Aero Foundation, As an Individual
That is a concern. You spend all of this money and then find out that you are medically disabled. It's fairly stringent to get a class 1 medical, so maybe there should be some sort of a parachute clause, an insurance that you can pay into, whereby if you lose you licence medically, you don't have to pay back $75,000 to $100,000 in training.
That is a difficulty. Something that you don't face in almost any other occupation is the requirement to keep your class 1 medical.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
This is a different topic that we haven't discussed at all before. When you get a degree, you get “B.A.” after your name, or whatever it is. When you become an engineer, you get a “P.Eng.”
You go through years and years of school and there's no post-nominal for a pilot. Should there be one?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
Absolutely.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
There is, but not for a co-pilot or a bush pilot. When you get your four bars at Air Canada, you become a captain, but if you're flying in any other part of the industry....
Director, International Board of Directors, Governor, East Canada Section, The Ninety-Nines, Inc., International Organization of Women Pilots
You're still “captain”.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
That's fair.
When I was learning to fly, we learned on paper CFSes and paper VNCs. Now everyone is on ForeFlight. Are we losing confidence of the pilots by switching to digital means?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
No, not really. It's just a different way of learning. Nowadays, if you look at how things have changed regarding technology, the younger generation is still doing...they know, and they can find as much information as we did in the paper form. Everything is still there.
No, I don't think so, not that we see.
Director, International Board of Directors, Governor, East Canada Section, The Ninety-Nines, Inc., International Organization of Women Pilots
I think it has increased. I believe that it has helped the safety aspect. I fly solo into Oshkosh, which for a week is the busiest airport in the world, and if my ForeFlight ever crashed as I was coming in there, I'd be lost. I'd turn around and head towards the lake.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
My thanks to our fine witnesses. Their comments are really interesting.
It seems to me that we are somewhat blasé about the effect that our lack of pilots will have on the future of the aviation industry. Could you tell me about the importance of pilot training? The number of flights is increasing by 4% to 5% per year. If the aerospace industry does not find a solution, what will be the impact on that increasing number of flights?
That question is for the three of you.
Do you want to start, Mr. Gervais?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
Yes.
The shortage of pilots is worldwide. The fact is that, if Canada does not find an answer to it, we will have to hire people from other countries.
The industry is growing around the world, but I do not believe that we should start by recruiting people from other countries. We have the capacity to train them in Canada. Most of our pilots were trained as a result of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. About 130,000 pilots were trained in its military bases. Canada's pilot training is internationally renowned. We have the ability to do it; we just have to roll up our sleeves and get going.
As Mr. Nantel said earlier, there should be a national training program, now and for the future. Canada is the home of the aerospace industry. The country was largely opened up by aviation.
We must do it, otherwise Canadian companies around Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver, like Viking Air, will suffer as a result. Canada is the home of aviation
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Thank you.
Do the other witnesses want to add any comments? I see that they do not.
In other professions, like medicine and accounting, firms are fighting over students.
Should we not give it some thought and encourage companies to invest in recruiting young men and young women with the potential to become pilots? The company could sponsor them, in a way. with financial assistance that would help them pay off their loans more quickly and have a promising and comfortable future.
It is important for the industry to have pilots so that it can continue to function.
Director, International Board of Directors, Governor, East Canada Section, The Ninety-Nines, Inc., International Organization of Women Pilots
Are you referring to a cadet program?
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
No, it would come later than that. Cadets have not yet made made their decisions. But the programs could be run together.
The solution should come from the aerospace industry, which sponsors your cadets, as in the case you mentioned in your testimony, or in other circumstances. When the industry sees young, motivated people with potential, why not sponsor them and support them so that they can view the future in a positive light?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
I really agree with you. Some companies are already doing it. Pratt & Whitney and Bombardier have air clubs. However, there is a whole other stage.
Last year, the Air Canada Pilots Association and COPA developed a career guide and established pilot scholarships to encourage people to enter the field. But that was not really sponsorship in the strict sense.
Companies would do well to have sponsorships, exactly as you say. It is perfectly possible. The costs would be minimal, but there needs to be a plan. COPA would be ready to work with people. To start programs like that, we could use airports and aerodromes located away from the problem areas we were talking about earlier.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much.
I'm sorry, Mr. Godin, but your time is up.
Go ahead, Mr. Badawey.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'm going to share my time with Mr. Graham. I think he has a few more questions, but I do want to introduce a notice of motion, Madam Chair, that I'm hoping will be entertained at the next meeting.
On that notice of motion, Madam Chair, as you know, we've been diving into pollution-related costs and we're trying to get as much input as we can from all sides of the floor. Therefore, my notice of motion, Madam Chair, reads as follows:
That the Official Opposition present to the Committee its plan to deal with transportation-related pollution costs.
I'll be presenting that at the next meeting.
With that, Mr. Graham, go ahead. The floor is yours.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Thank you.
I don't have too much more, but I do have some more.
Mr. Gervais, you mentioned COPA For Kids and you used to be involved with the ABPQ, and as you know, I am as well. I've flown in at least five of these Kids in Flight events. Can you speak to the real impact of this? I know of the 50 or so kids I've taken, only one of which puked—I'm very proud of that—I'd say about half or maybe even more were girls, and it doesn't seem to be translating into an interest at the flying school.
Do you have any thoughts on why that is?
Madam Cameron, you were talking about seeing those role models. My instructor is a woman. She's an excellent instructor and an excellent pilot. She's flying at all these events. She does the ground school for all the kids, so they are seeing it. How do we convert that into an interest?
Air Canada Captain (retired), Director, Northern Lights Aero Foundation, As an Individual
I'd argue that they're still not seeing it enough. I think it needs to start at the elementary school level and then progress to, say, high school guidance counsellors. They need educating.
There are a lot of misconceptions out there. One is that you have to be a math whiz to be a pilot. That's not true—