Mr. Speaker, I begin my remarks by congratulating the hon. member for Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans. He has been a hard working member of the Standing Committee on Transport which I had the privilege to chair for the last two and half years. The member has moved on to another area and his energy and effervescence is certainly missed at the committee.
The hon. member addressed three points on which I would like to touch. The first is safety. Safety has always been priority one for Transport Canada. It must be clear to members of the Bloc that Bill C-20 clearly establishes the supremacy of the Aeronautics Act and sets up appropriate linkages to that act.
The Aeronautics Act, which looks after all the safety concerns of anything in that flies in this country, has demonstrated that it has been able to ensure the safe passage of men, women and children on aircraft.
I do not think the hon. member can stand here and say that Canada has a disastrous policy on aeronautics which is resulting in crashes of aircraft. He must admit that the Aeronautics Act has done the job well for our country and for the air carriers.
The member says that when Nav Canada takes over that Canada's air navigation system the role the government plays will somehow be unplugged from the process. Nothing could be farther from the truth, particularly when it comes to the safety of the system. The government has a number of other roles to play on an ongoing basis.
The Minister of Transport is likely to be involved in the approval of charges during the first two years when NavCan introduces its full complement of user charges.
The minister has the final say when there are disagreements among users, that is, provincial or territorial governments. Specifically, when it comes to safety, the economy and accountability, the government took great care to establish a framework with Nav Canada upfront. With Bill C-20 the contractual agreements that have been entered into with Nav Canada are there, transparent, open to the public through its bylaws and letters patent.
If I had a question for the hon. member opposite after that comment it would be to ask him what specific measure would the Bloc suggest that would, if not already incorporated in the Aeronautics Act, be better or more clear than the Aeronautics Act itself which protects and ensures the safe passage of men, women and children in aircraft in this country?