I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting No. 45 of the Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities.
Today's meeting is running in hybrid format, pursuant to the order of the House of Commons dated Thursday, November 25, 2021. Members may participate in person or with the Zoom application.
Pursuant to Standing Order 106(4), the committee is meeting today to consider a request, received by the clerk and submitted by five members of the committee, to discuss the travel delays and treatment of air and rail passengers over the last month. Since the time that letter was received, there have been private discussions going into this meeting. My understanding is that there is a broad consensus on the motion that I will read following my remarks and the statements by members.
Members of the committee, poor services received by Canadian travellers over the holiday, particularly from Sunwing and VIA Rail, but from others as well, were completely unacceptable. Many of our constituents had their holiday plans disrupted or ruined, and they spent long periods of time in airports, hotel lobbies or train cabins waiting for updates that were too slow in coming. Thousands of individuals and families had particularly miserable experiences that were compounded by futile attempts to get clear explanations or to secure compensation for the time and money that they had spent.
Although weather delays are a part of winters in Canada, some of the poor service travellers received cannot be explained solely by weather. Canadians deserve better service. Canadians deserve better, period.
In recent days some explanations and apologies have been offered, but this committee has important roles to play: first, in helping Canadians understand what happened, what their rights are and what kind of compensation they may be entitled to; second, in holding those responsible accountable; and third, in seeking answers about what will be done to avoid a repeat of these problems in the future. The purpose of the meeting today is to discuss how it will undertake this work and provide direction to committee staff on next steps.
I will now open the floor for remarks. We will begin with Mr. Strahl.
Mr. Strahl, the floor is yours.