Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all of the witnesses with us today participating in this very important study. With your knowledge, experience and involvement in the airline industry in rural and remote areas of Canada, we appreciate the information you provide.
I know that for all of us as MPs, as we travel to extreme areas of the country and from one end to the other, like Mr. Bachrach in western Canada and myself in Newfoundland and Labrador, the challenges we face on a regular basis flying home to get back to our ridings are extreme. Flying into Gander, sometimes it takes me a day and a half to get home from Ottawa, if you can imagine that.
I know a lot of challenges have to do with weather, and there are all kinds of issues around staff shortages with major airlines like Air Canada and WestJet. We've had those folks here talk to us about this stuff.
What we want to find out as a committee, of course, is what you can tell us we can improve in the airline industry for our rural and remote areas. What do we need to do as a government, and what do we need to do as an industry?
Mr. Sparling, given your research and your extensive experience with Air North, I'd like first of all for you to talk to us about the challenges you have faced, even though you identified some things in your previous comments, and some of the lessons you've learned operating in northern Canada—for example, operating aircraft and so on. Take a few minutes, and if anybody else would like to jump in on that, I'd welcome your comments.
Mr. Sparling, please go ahead.