Transport Committee on Jan. 26th, 2021

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Some companies have used government assistance, including the Canada emergency wage subsidy, to rehire employees who had been laid off.

My next question is for Mr. Rauenbusch.

Would you like to suggest regulatory amendments to continue to protect workers under the Canada Labour Code?

[Christopher Rauenbusch]

Under the Canada Labour Code, we strive to ask for conditions and additional policy to be made that protect the interest of our membership. The focus right now really has to be surviving this crisis, quite frankly. I speak specifically on behalf of the WestJet, Swoop and Encore flight attendants, but employers—right across the industry, I would imagine, from what I'm hearing today—are very much in a position of asking, “Will we survive?” We're focusing on asking for policy changes that will allow that to happen.

In terms of Canada Labour Code changes, that's something we would want to look at down the line, once we get through the pandemic.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Thank you.

Mr. El-Khoury, you have time for one more quick question.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

My question is for Mr. Dias.

I understand your perspective that only from 1% to 2% of COVID-19 cases may be related to international air travel. However, what would you say to my constituents who are worried about the possibility of those 1% to 2% of cases potentially being critical in the spread of new COVID-19 variants?

[Jerry Dias]

That's a good question. I share this frustration with your constituents because for all of us on this call, the preoccupation is with safety. What we're talking about is, number one, safety comes first. You can't leave anything to chance.

What are the measures that can be put into place? One is rapid testing. Another is making sure people are quarantining. Then there's making sure the industry receives some type of financial support from government in order to come through this. Much of our presentation is dealing with the economic hardships that our members are facing today, but I'm more concerned about the long term.

We all share the same fear of COVID. Nobody here is suggesting anything different, but we are suggesting that we need a plan. We need a plan once and for all. Here we are 10-plus months into a pandemic and we still don't have rapid testing. We still don't have a whole host of initiatives, and I can argue that we are lagging behind some countries in this regard.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Thank you.

We're now going to move on to our third presenter for this first round, Mr. Barsalou-Duval, for six minutes.

The floor is yours.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I would like to begin by thanking the witnesses who are joining us today. They are testifying about a crisis situation, and I think they have a real sense of urgency. I invite my Liberal colleagues to listen carefully to their concerns and grievances, to take into consideration the future of people working in the aviation sector who will need a job, and to finally resolve the issue of loans or assistance to the aviation sector.

Mr. Lesosky, you represent a portion of Air Canada flight attendants. Have you been able to meet with the previous Minister of Transport, Mr. Garneau, or the new minister?

[Wesley Lesosky]

We've definitely reached out to the minister for a meeting. We have not had a meeting at this point.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Lesosky.

Mr. Perry, how many meetings have you had with the Minister of Transport?

[Capt Tim Perry]

We have yet to meet with the new Minister of Transport, although we expect to meet with the minister this week for the first time, and that would be it.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

What about the former minister?

[Capt Tim Perry]

I believe we had one meeting as part of a coalition of union leaders.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Rauenbusch, how many meetings have you managed to have with the previous or the new Minister of Transport?

[Christopher Rauenbusch]

I never met with the previous minister. We have reached out to the new Minister of Transport as well and have not heard anything back. We do not currently have a time to meet with the current minister.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Thank you.

Mr. Wayland, you must be anticipating my question.

[Matt Wayland]

We've had meetings with staff and a parliamentary secretary of the previous minister but not the current minister. We have reached out to the new minister's office to re-engage.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Ms. Daviau, I put the same question to you.

[Debi Daviau]

It's exactly the same thing. We have joined other unions to talk to the employees of the minister's office.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

What about you, Mr. Dias?

[Jerry Dias]

I met with the current minister last week. I've had at least two or three discussions with former minister Garneau. I've spoken to Chrystia Freeland. I've spoken to the Prime Minister's Office. I've spoken to every bureaucrat in Ottawa. I think it's fair to say that the federal government knows our position and our frustration level.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Dias, you seem to be the exception to the rule. You should give some tips to the other stakeholders, so that they may have more meetings.

We wish the best of luck to the new Minister of Transport. I hope he will listen to you proactively and also propose solutions.

Mr. Wayland—

[Jerry Dias]

I think it might have something to do with my charming personality and striking good looks. Maybe neither.

It wasn't very complicated. We asked for a meeting. His office was very co-operative. We had a very lengthy discussion on the challenges of the industry. Specifically, we talked in depth about how our members were feeling, the frustration, what Canada should be doing as it relates to the industry and the concerns about the future. With Nav Canada, we talked for quite awhile, and we covered, I would like to think, all of the issues.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Dias. Your comments are invaluable.

I would like to come back to Ms. Daviau.

Nav Canada managers and employees are not in the same situation as airlines. The aviation sector is going through a major crisis, but it is often forgotten that Nav Canada provides an essential service to airlines everywhere, including in all of Quebec's regions.

What impact do the service and job cuts have on our regions and on service quality?

[Debi Daviau]

As you know, we represent only a certain segment of the workers at Nav Canada, but collectively the workforce at Nav Canada is going to be essential to the recovery of the entire aviation industry.

When we talk about aviation, we can't just look at the airlines, although that is an important piece. The airlines aren't going to be able to fly if Nav Canada's services aren't in place. More specifically, the cuts that are planned are already closing down some of the regional airports or downgrading the type of service that's being provided. Many of you will see cuts in your community because of those issues related to Nav Canada's being unable to provide service in those communities.

Basically, the whole aviation industry is going to require a strong and stable Nav Canada, and cuts now unfortunately cannot be recovered from quickly. As some of my colleagues mentioned, the training that goes along with these highly specialized jobs takes upwards of two years, and these types of professionals will be sought after, either elsewhere in Canada or around the world. They'll be difficult to get back. It's not an industry that can recover without Nav Canada, and Nav Canada can't recover without its workforce.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Mr. Barsalou-Duval, you can have a quick question.