Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Earlier, the minister suggested that I was virtually alone in defending Air Transat. Let me name a few other defenders of the company.
WestJet Airlines has spoken out against the sale. The organizations Air Passenger Rights and Flight Claim expressed concerns about the sale. The Competition Bureau and the European Commission have also expressed concerns.
Minister, as you can see, I may not be the only one defending Air Transat. If you had read the public interest review report provided to you by your department's officials, you would probably have found that there were other adverse comments about this transaction.
Air Canada is engaging in dumping by lowering prices in the regions to get rid of competition, and then takes advantage of this to raise its prices. In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Air Canada has abandoned some 30 regional routes, which is seriously affecting regional services in Quebec.
These conditions have provided an opportunity for carriers, the Quebec government and all our regional industries to think about how to work together and seek solutions to address the situation.
Regional carriers, city and airport representatives say they no longer want Air Canada in the regions because they want a healthy competitive situation with reliable carriers working for Quebec.
How can you justify the fact that the federal government is negotiating the return of Air Canada to the regions, when almost everyone thinks it's a bad idea?
Do you want to be part of the problem or the solution?