Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to respond to my friend from Calgary East. I too read the recommendations and found that what was lacking was practicality. The Competition Bureau suggested that we could bring in all kinds of new airlines. It did not really matter who owned them, we could raise the ownership portions to astronomical heights.
What has to be understood, which the minister understands, is that this country was originally connected by railroads. Now its lifeblood is being pumped through the airlines. The heart of the country and its regions are being fed through the airlines.
It would be a gross miscarriage of justice if we lost some control over Canadian ownership and some control over the direction this new mega airline will go in. It would be a very sad situation if we, as parliamentarians, stood back and let the market forces take over. We have to understand that some of us really believe this will keep the country together. It is important to control it to a certain extent and to monitor it so that it is the best airline it can be and one which will continue to make Canada proud.