The change in foreign ownership rules just prior to the pandemic, which rose from a 25% threshold to a 49% threshold, was significant and makes sure that airlines have sufficient access to capital to support their operations. It's a very capital-intensive business to be in, and recognizing that, the government made this important change. As a result, we did see some new entrants, and we have since seen some further expansion plans.
The government has also been working very closely with the industry on a regular basis. As I mentioned, our airport recovery operations committee meets monthly, and it was meeting up to twice a week during the pandemic to help with recovery and to troubleshoot issues where we knew different players within the air ecosystem were having challenges in meeting the recovery of demand. That has continued to be a focus for all of us within the industry, to make sure we can support that returning passenger demand.
As your colleague mentioned, challenges around slot allocation at airports and the provision of CATSA services have been the focus of the air operations committee. That collaboration piece has been really important to finding a new balance within the industry.
I would say that Bill C-52 is another significant step towards ensuring that there is a balance within the industry, that there is transparency around service levels between partners within the air sector so there is consistency in how those services are provided, and that there is transparency for passengers so they understand what levels of service they can expect and how the industry is performing.
Finally, we want to make sure there is data sharing between industry players.