Transport Committee on Nov. 24th, 2020

[Paul Njoroge]

Thank you.

We've met and spoken with the Minister of Transport. We've met with the director general for Transport Canada. Basically, you have to know that, yes, we understand they did something after the first crash, the crash of the JT610, and that was the five-point memory aid. It tells you they knew there was a bigger issue there.

Even now they've already assured Canadians that it's going to take a while before the plane is ungrounded here in Canada. When you look at all that, you realize that they don't trust the FAA and Boeing at this time. They know the plane could be having more issues.

What we want to see is a validation of the entire complete plane before it's ungrounded here in Canada, and not just using the improved AD that was just issued by the FAA the other day. We want Transport Canada to go back to the drawing board and look at this plane in total before it's ungrounded. I think that's the only way Canadians can feel safe stepping into a 737 Max.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Members, we are at our 45 minutes for the first panel. I do have other witnesses lined up at 4:15, but I let it go to 4:20 simply because we started at 3:35.

Again, we're at our limit, so I can now thank Mr. Njoroge as well as Mr. Moore for their testimony and for taking the time to be here today. As was mentioned earlier, our hearts are very heavy with respect to what you, your families, your friends and all those around you have been through.

As Mr. El-Khoury and many others alluded to, the reason for this study was to get to what I'm sure you want to get to.

I'm going to leave it at that, folks, and move on to the next panel. I'll give the clerk a few minutes to get set up and get folks on.

To Mr. Moore and Mr. Njoroge, thank you once again.

[Gerald Soroka, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

I'm new to the committee, and Mr. Njoroge had mentioned something about documents. I'm not certain if there are any new documents. If they have documents available they would like to share with us, I'd very much appreciate that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Thank you, Mr. Soroka, and thank you for mentioning that. It slipped my mind.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair—

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Just give me a second, Mr. Bachrach.

There are documents that have been distributed. They have been given to the clerk. From what I'm led to believe, they are being translated. Once translated, they will be passed on to members of the committee. I'm sure it will be a lot more information on it than was provided today.

Mr. Bachrach, go ahead.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, I neglected at the end of my time.... I had hoped to make a motion related to the testimony of the witnesses we have before us today. I wonder if you could give me a quick moment to do that at this point, before we move on to the additional witnesses.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Okay.

Mr. Clerk, would it be in order for him to move a motion?

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

It relates to the study before us.

[The Clerk]

We would actually need to hear the motion.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Go ahead, Mr. Bachrach.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, I would like to move:

That the committee call on the federal government to launch, as early as possible, a public inquiry into Canada’s aircraft certification process and its role in certifying the Boeing 737 Max as well as Transport Canada’s actions following the Lion Air crash in 2018.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

While the clerk's thinking about this, Mr. Bachrach, would there be an opportunity to actually add that to the final report's recommendations?

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

My concern, Mr. Chair, is that the government is under tremendous pressure to put these planes back in the air. I am very compelled by the testimony I've heard today, and I believe it's incumbent upon the committee to act very swiftly on the testimony we've heard.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Thank you, Mr. Bachrach.

Mr. Clerk.

[The Clerk]

Actually, I was trying to send you a quick note on that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Mr. Bachrach, what we'll do, and what I'm going to decide to do as the chair of the committee, is take that as a notice of motion. We can then deal with it at our next meeting. If you can, in the meantime, provide wording in both official languages, that would be good.

Do you have any questions on that, Mr. Bachrach?

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

No, Mr. Chair. Thank you for allowing me to read my motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Great. Thank you, Mr. Bachrach.

Once again, I do want to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Njoroge and Mr. Moore.

As was mentioned by Mr. Soroka, we do have your notes, which the clerk is currently translating into both official languages. Once that's complete, it will be distributed to all members of the committee, and as well I'm sure will be part of the final report.

With that, once again I thank you. I thank you for your time.

[Chris Moore]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Vance Badawey]

Thank you.

[Paul Njoroge]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Thank you, gentlemen, for being with us.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you.