Thank you very much.
On behalf of the 5,500 professional pilots at 16 airlines in Canada, ALPA appreciates the opportunity to provide comments to the committee for its study on the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation sector.
As you know, workers continue to bear the brunt of the impact that COVID-19 has had on the aviation industry. The almost complete shutdown of the industry has made flight operations a financially losing proposition and the industry's eventual restart very complex.
Aviation jobs, in particular, will either take several years to fully return to the extensive time required to requalify or, worse, disappear altogether. While other governments around the world have been quick to support their airlines and people, we are still waiting.
I would like to remind you that compounding this issue is the fact that, prior to COVID-19, our industry faced a severe pilot shortage. Any study will tell you that we'll face this issue again before long, and this time even more acutely and with even more severe consequences to the industry. This path of inaction will ensure dire consequences, not just now, but in the future as well.
I want to emphasize this as clearly as possible right now, because I've become aware of some misinterpretation here from talking to many over the last number of weeks and months. Safety for Canadians is, and always will be, number one. We agree on this. We do, however, believe that our testing and border policy could be better if better information was taken into account and proper consultation occurred, but I will speak to that in a moment.
Nothing I say here is any way contrary to the public safety of Canadians. ALPA's position on how to help the industry and weather the storm has, since the beginning of the pandemic, been consistent: implement an aviation-specific financial assistance program, with strong labour protections that provide direct support to airlines that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
I understand that this seemingly simple request may be challenging to deliver even when all parties agree about its necessity. With this in mind, I want to offer our perspective and experience as an organization deeply familiar with the sector.
I'd like to highlight the perspective that we bring to the table and put a human face on the impact the pandemic has had on the airline industry. I have several letters from our members expressing in their own words the impact, the hardship and the frustration that the lack of support for the industry is creating in their lives. I will forward these to you, and I strongly urge you to read them as you consider a path out of these unprecedented times for the sake of the industry, its workers and our country.
To date, meaningful dialogue between the government and aviation labour organizations has not adequately occurred. Unless this changes, and changes soon, it will be to the detriment of aviation workers, the industry and Canada's economy. Policy decisions that ultimately affect so many Canadians and workers, in particular, cannot continue to be made without proper consultation and engagement.
For example, conflicting definitions for “crew” in orders in council, interim orders and guidance materials have caused confusion, not only for those pilots who are fortunate enough to still be working, but also for those who are charged with implementation and enforcement of COVID requirements that apply to air transportation, such as airlines and CBSA. With more restrictions currently being considered by the government, the industry is faced with an even bleaker outlook, as it will increasingly be unable to absorb them unless there is substantial support from the government to compensate for the impact more restrictions would have.
The uncoordinated patchwork of federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions that are dealing with the pandemic, combined with a lack of financial support from the federal government, has created the perfect storm for the failure of the Canadian airline industry.
ALPA offers significant expertise and a unique perspective on the industry. We speak for and defend those who are most affected and acutely in need of stability. As the industry remains under threat, we need to take action now and together to ensure the stabilization, continued viability, and ultimately, the survival of the airline sector in Canada.
Thank you very much. I look forward to your questions.