Madam Speaker, I rise to ask a question of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport. It relates to airport safety as related to the divestiture processes going on across the country with cutbacks to NavCan and to other aspects of airport facilities.
Today the minister announced an independent review of firefighting issues. We are very pleased to hear that this review will take place, especially in consideration of the events that have taken place in Fredericton, Quebec, Sydney and Manitoba lately.
My main concern today is the divestiture of the Halifax International Airport and whether it will be equipped with adequate firefighting facilities after the divestiture. I believe I have reason to be concerned because other areas of Halifax International Airport have been left with substandard operational facilities.
I would like to compare Halifax with a couple of other airports around the country that have exactly the same airport volume of traffic, that is about 2.7 million passengers a year.
Halifax has clearly been shortchanged because it has only 44% of the hold room space that an equivalent volume airport like Ottawa has. Halifax has 69% less in baggage space and capacity than the airport at Winnipeg. Halifax has 50% less out baggage space than the airport at Ottawa. Halifax has 69% less check in space than the airport at Ottawa. Again, these are all equivalent capacity airports.
The overall worst statistic that really is kind of discomforting is the fact that Halifax handles 750,000 more passengers than its rated capacity. That fact alone raises safety questions that I think should be addressed.
However, on November 18, the Minister of Transport unequivocally guaranteed me in the House that Halifax would be treated the same way as all other equivalent airports in these negotiations. I ask today whether the parliamentary secretary, on behalf of the minister, will confirm that this commitment would not only address the issues I have listed but would also ensure that equivalent safety facilities to those of other airports with the same capacity such as Ottawa and Winnipeg are available for Halifax International Airport.