Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for Manicouagan for all this information. I did not have the time to read the press clippings this morning.
Yesterday, the minister told the transport committee “Safety remains Transport Canada's top priority”.
It takes some nerve on the part of an MP or a minister to say such things. How can the minister explain that, in Quebec's north shore and Gaspé region, we have had three plane crashes in eight months.
A Mira Aviation plane crashed on landing in Gaspé.A Nordair plane crashed in Sept-Îles, in the riding of Manicouagan. People were injured and the passengers had to call for help, because no one had seen the crash. Finally, an Air Satellite plane crashed in Baie-Comeau on December 7. That accident was witnessed by a six-year old girl, from her parents' residence.
When the federal government delegated to Nav Canada responsibility for transport safety, Nav Canada made cuts at the expense of passenger safety. It reduced the number of air traffic controllers, shut down control towers, and eliminated firefighting services at airports. Now, the federal government wants to privatize those airports, which already are not viable.
My questions to the hon. member for Manicouagan are as follows. Does he think that, in the region of Manicouagan and particularly in Sept-Îles—which is currently served by two airlines, namely Air Alliance and Canadian Airlines—the airport will be more viable? Will there be better customer service? Will travel agencies in his riding gain anything? They create jobs in his riding and provide ticket, reservation and checking services. The number of passengers will increase. Since 1996, travel agencies have been losing money. Yet, they create jobs. Could the hon. member tell me about his concern regarding current versus future airline services in Sept-Îles, which is the largest city of his riding of Manicouagan?