Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Minister. It's always a pleasure to see you.
I'm just going to start this meeting with a bang. The cat is out of the bag. After eight months, the Financial Post is reporting that you will finally have a plan for airline sector. It comes, finally, after losing between $27 billion and $37 billion of GDP, after losing 400,000 to 500,000 jobs in this sector, after all other G7 nations gave a median of $30 billion to their sectors before us, after Canada lost 14% of our transatlantic share, and after rapid testing was implemented by the private sector at YYZ and YVR, when that should have been the lead of your government.
Most importantly, Minister, it's after families have been crying and calling me because they have lost their jobs. They didn't know how they were going to provide livelihoods for their families. It's after CEOs of airlines were phoning me saying they felt devastated laying off workers and wondered how they were going to face their employees day after day. It is after families were sending me photos of themselves in their uniforms with their children, Minister.
Why has it taken you and your government eight long months to respond to the airline sector and provide them this week with what we hope is finally a plan?