Madam Speaker, as I said this morning in my speech, the Bloc Quebecois has contributed and will keep on contributing to the improvement of air transport in Canada, especially in Quebec regions.
Journalists will report again that Bloc Quebecois members are well prepared, that they attend every committee meeting, every sitting of the House. Aware of the urgency of the situation, today the Bloc Quebecois moved an opposition motion with a view to informing Canadians of what an airline merger will mean for them.
After putting questions to Air Canada officials, the minister, officials from the competition bureau, and Canadian Airlines yesterday, the committee will have the opportunity to hear from Onex next week.
From what Air Canada and Canadian Airlines were able to tell us in response to our questions, we have learned that Canadian Airlines has been talking to the transport minister since January 1999.
We are going through turbulent times. The air transport industry is going through a storm. The minister took it upon himself to amend section 47, essentially telling the competition bureau: “This is none of your business, I am using section 47 to give the airlines 90 days to prepare their bid and come to an agreement.”
Why did the minister not ask Canadian Airlines and Air Canada to sit at the table as early as January? Why did he not ask both major Canadian carriers to sit down together? Instead, he waited and opened up section 47 at the request of Onex. Then Onex tabled its bid. Air Canada made another bid. Onex had no choice but to make a higher offer. The decision will be up to the shareholders, those who own shares in Air Canada and Canadian Airlines. They will accept the best proposal with no regard for which offers the better service.
They will not look to see whether Rouyn-Noranda, Témiscamingue, the north shore, Manicouagan, or Gaspé have improved service. They will look to see which is the better deal. Shareholders will decide, not parliamentarians, and they will do it according to the proposals put before them.
The minister made promises to Onex. Onex said “I have a problem. If I become the major manager, if I put in a lot of money, I am taking a risk with the 10% rule”. So the minister replied “Well, we will increase it, we will change the Competition Act”.
Could the hon. member for Témiscamingue tell me why the 10% rule should be changed in this case, when it was not changed for Petro Canada? The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec was prevented from investing in CP Rail, and was told: “No, it is 10%”. The federal government said, about the bank mergers, “No, it is 10%”.
In this case, the Minister of Transport is saying “Onex will serve American interests, I will not have to subsidize anymore, to prop up an air carrier. It makes no difference if 10,000 jobs are lost. It does not bother me. You deal with the problem. Tell us what you need to buy both airlines. As for section 47, it is a done deed. We will amend the Competition Act. And as for the 10%, we will increase it to 25%”.
Why is the minister prepared to do so in this case, when it was not allowed in other cases?