Thank you.
Earlier, you referred to the user-pay model. Previous witnesses have mentioned it as well.
Not so long ago, we carried out a study on the issue of high costs. In fact, our study focused on the state of airline competition. We weren't talking specifically about regional transportation, but rather about transportation in general. Witnesses told us about the model used in Canada. We were told about Nav Canada fees, which are included in the cost of the ticket, security charges, the goods and services tax, or GST, fuel taxes, airport improvement fees and airport rents.
Several fees are added to the cost of the ticket, so it ends up being quite expensive due to government policies. This explains why tickets are so expensive. It seems that completely different models are used elsewhere in the world. They don't necessarily use the user-pay model. In other countries, a portion of government funding is allocated to air travel.
The decision not to subsidize transportation and travel down south is a policy I clearly understand. But do you think it's right to tell people in the regions to fend for themselves?