Transport Committee on Jan. 12th, 2023

[Tamara Vrooman]

We did face those challenges significantly in the summer. We have cleared up that backlog, and we did bring on extra escort staff, because we knew that the timely movement of equipment and people would be critical during these operations, so we were able to provide escorts as needed to the airfield.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Okay. So that is no longer an issue...?

[Tamara Vrooman]

No.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Okay.

Can I ask you, Ms. Flint, is that the same for YYZ as well?

[Deborah Flint]

Yes. There's a stark difference between the summer operations and winter. We were well prepared. The staffing issues that had plagued the industry [Technical difficulty—Editor] working with the federal government, restaffing, retooling, eliminating processes that also had made staff inefficient have all been remedied.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Have you spoken directly with the minister in the last couple of weeks regarding the challenges that YYZ has faced?

[Deborah Flint]

We had a series.... I began a weekly letter back to the government with situational awareness—

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Directly with the minister...?

[Deborah Flint]

No, but I spoke with Deputy Minister Keenan on December 29.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Ms. Vrooman, again to you, just to reconfirm, you have not spoken with the minister yet.

[Tamara Vrooman]

That is correct. I've spoken with the deputy.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Okay.

For our Montreal colleagues, Mr. Rainville, have you spoken directly with the minister as of yet with respect to any challenges?

[Philippe Rainville]

No. We spoke with the office of the Minister of Transport.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Okay, so the minister hasn't reached out as of yet: That's correct.

I guess the challenge I have, as I've said many times on either side of this, is that YVR continues to say and the airports continue to say that they are ready.

Ms. Vrooman, you've said that you were ready for this winter storm on November 29—

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

My apologies, Mr. Doherty, but there is no time left. We're going to have to move on to the next line of questioning, which will be with Ms. Damoff.

The floor is yours, Ms. Damoff. You have five minutes.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to our witnesses for being with us today.

I represent Oakville North—Burlington and most of my constituents travel through Pearson airport, so I'm going to start with the GTAA. I want to talk about the issue with luggage.

You mentioned that the winds were from a different direction and freezing and you made it sound like that was the only issue, yet I know that passengers both before and since then have had problems with luggage that has not arrived, or there have been extended delays in receiving it, particularly during the Christmas period when people didn't receive their luggage.

I'm wondering if you could just comment on the processes for what happens with luggage and how it gets to passengers when it is delayed.

[Deborah Flint]

Yes, I'd be happy to answer that. Thank you.

The baggage responsibility is shared, as has been said. We are responsible for the infrastructure: 13 kilometres of baggage conveyance belts and numerous carousels. The airlines are responsible, through their ground handlers or their own staff, for taking the bags at check-in, putting them into the conveyance and then, as they go through the process, for taking them off the conveyance, loading them into carts and getting them to the aircraft, and similarly, on the inbound, getting them into the conveyors so that passengers can pick them up.

When there are irregular operations, many of those times it is due to delays in flights and the transfer of baggage, and the airlines need to coordinate bags from people who have missed their flights or missed their transfers. The accumulation of the majority of the bags at Pearson International Airport and the pictures you saw were due to that, not just for the bags that were destined for Pearson, but for those that were in transit to and from other places.

As Canada's largest international hub airport, we also sometimes serve as a collecting point and a hub distribution point for bags that the airlines are trying to get back to their passengers, so you see stark images of that. I did acknowledge, of course, that we had mechanical failures in terminal 3 during that two-day window, but again, we have a plan, as I've shared. This is about modernizing our airport system. Finally in a position to invest capital, we will make our baggage systems and other parts more resilient, but 10% of the baggage—

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

I'm sorry. I'm going to stop you there just because I have limited time—

[Deborah Flint]

Understood.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

—but thank you for the response.

I want to turn now to the efforts that have taken place over the last year between the minister of Transport Canada and the various sectors of the air industry: airlines, airports, CATSA, CBSA, Nav Canada and others. I just wondered if I could get a comment on the efforts that have taken place.

Maybe I'll start with Montreal, since you're here in the room. If I have time, I'll go to Toronto and then Vancouver.

I'll turn it over to you, gentlemen.

[Philippe Rainville]

Obviously, after last summer, considerable adjustments were made. The lack of human resources has been addressed.

Government agencies such as the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and the Canada Border Services Agency made considerable efforts, as did Nav Canada, where the situation was critical. We now have the level of assurance we needed for the holiday season, as well as the resources to provide quality service to passengers.

So, there have been considerable efforts made on that front. This can only be commended.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Are those conversations between the various parties continuing today?

[Philippe Rainville]

Yes, absolutely, as has always been the case. We use the word “ecosystem” because we all work together and we all serve the passengers. Obviously, there have been more of these conversations since last summer.

We are, even as we speak, preparing for next summer. As I said in my opening remarks, the human resources will be there. They must be there in quantity, but above all in quality. We are actively preparing. The school break in March will be a test, but we are trying to prepare for the summer.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Okay. Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you very much, Ms. Damoff.

Ms. Vignola, you now have the floor for two and a half minutes.