Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows perfectly well that negotiations with the Hong Kong airport authorities were concluded only a few days ago.
When we decided to establish a level of 300,000 passengers before identifying a second destination, we made sure that there would be two locations on this planet where this rule would come into force this year: in Germany and Hong Kong.
As I have already pointed out, for the past 14 months Air Canada has had access to Japan, a market this airline has coveted for a very long time. It is now able to prepare for its arrival in Hong Kong, another very important market. For Canadian Airlines International, which needs landing rights in Germany and other destinations in Asia, it is also very important to be able to plan ahead and have some certainty when agreements are negotiated, not only with these countries but also with the financial institutions that support these airlines.
I still say that, after all, Air Canada president Hollis Harris said publicly that he appreciated the work done by a government that opened these markets to Air Canada for the first time in its history.