I'd like to take another crack at this question about rural airports and smaller regional centres.
Mr. Moore noted that most of the Canadian population lives within a few kilometres of the U.S. border. We live a short distance from the U.S. border too. It's just the other U.S. border in southeast Alaska, and really, the issue, I think, is that a lot of people feel that the big airline is gouging consumers. There's basically zero competition and they're able to charge whatever they feel people will be willing to pay. When it's essential travel and people have to get to a larger centre—for a medical appointment, say—they're willing to pay whatever it takes to get there.
Short of doing what Quebec has done—and maybe some other jurisdictions—where they subsidize the cost of those flights, what other policy options are available to government to ensure airlines are charging a fair price? I think everyone accepts that there are costs to running an airline and that a company like Air Canada deserves to make a profit, but it feels like what's being paid in some cases is exorbitant. Are there any other policy options that can ensure fairness for consumers?
I'll start with Mr. Moore since he's right here beside me, and then, if I have time and the chair allows, I'll turn to other witnesses.