Mr. Speaker, I only wish these Speaker's rulings were as stiff when we first rose on the point of order. I will address the direct concern of the hon. member who just spoke.
Bloc members have presented this argument at every reading and have focused their concerns on this bill in those two specific areas, regional representation on the board of Nav Canada and aspects of safety. Therefore my remark made to the hon. member who spoke previously was really more of a collective remark. We will probably get the assurance of the hon. member who will get up in a moment that is precisely what their focus is on those specific areas.
I have already addressed the small carrier-major carrier attitude the hon. member is putting forward vis-à-vis representation on the board, that there is representation. The hon. member is concerned about the small carrier and specific protection for the small carrier. Let us take a few examples of what is in Bill C-20 to protect the charging principles for small carriers.
Paragraph 35(1)(d) prohibits discrimination among Canadian carriers in terms of charges. This would rule out the use of quality discounts, for example, which would give a price break to the large carriers.
Paragraph 35(1)(e) requires a reasonable allocation of costs and a determination of charges for terminal and en route services. This would avoid any unjustified loading of costs into the cost base for terminal charges, which typically impact heavily on the smaller carriers making frequent landings and take-offs.
The legislation in committee was addressed point by point. Regrettably the hon. member who just spoke was not at committee. I hope the hon. member feels reassured at this point. Given that the bill deals with the Aeronautics Act which looks after safety in this sector and with Nav Canada, and given the assurances of the large and small carrier representation on the board, I hope he would have no problem with the legislation before us today.