Madam Chair, thank you for having me at the committee.
I can't stop myself from making a comment about Mr. Badawey's statement, which was meant to be reassuring, with some nice promises about a bill. This is the same government that promised us that there would not be a deficit in 2019, but there is a $20-billion deficit and we are not going back to a balanced budget.
Mr. Badawey, I'd like to believe your pious wishes, but I'm not reassured by what I have heard today about the bill.
Mr. Bergamini, my question is for you. I'd like to know how to put this bill back on the rails, because there are concerns. You tell us that the current government imposed the carbon tax on you. Who is going to pay? The people who buy airplane tickets. There are still problems with regard to the comfort of passengers. Who is going to pay? People who take the plane.
Moreover, there is this new agency—and I'll go back to you, Mr. Pugliese. In fact, we are going to add a large debt to a system which is already lacking in funding and money. Who is going to pay? Once again, it will be the passengers, and the government, which has a $20-billion debt.
It would seem that we agree on the objective of having an efficient agency, but how can we make sure that it won't be a big indebted white elephant and that we won't in the end have worse service than we have now? That is my big concern given the way things are developing. As my colleague said, aren't we giving the government a blank cheque to obtain a lesser level of service?
Mr. Bergamini, how can we put this bill back on the rails? Are there amendments that would ensure that your absolutely legitimate concerns are heard? This will have an impact on taxpayers, and on people who buy airplane tickets, who may be taken for a ride and be the victims.