Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to these amendments. As I said earlier, this has been a very interesting debate all the way through the several months we have been involved with it. We have seen many changes and a lot of transition. We are seeing transition every day. This is a work in progress.
Our party believes that the flexibility must be left in the system to change direction as things change. We have seen dramatic changes and surprises all the way through the debate, especially since the airline merger itself. Some of us thought that this would put a lot of the problems to bed. Instead it has initiated all kinds of new changes, new challenges, new airlines, new proposals, new entrepreneurs, new routes.
Again, flexibility is very much a part of our position on the bill. It has to be in there for the Department of Transport to make changes as things unfold and as situations change.
On Motion No. 5 to change the Air Canada public participation act, if I remember correctly the committee passed a motion to increase the ownership limit to 20%. Then the government rolled it back to 15%. The NDP motion now is to roll it back even further to 10%. As luck would have it during the debate in committee on the most practical and appropriate percentage, I proposed 15% and the Minister of Transport took my advice and put in 15% exactly what I recommended. He is to be credited with his good judgment and his good consultation powers in consideration of others.
I would be hard-pressed to support the amendment if I had proposed it in the first place. Even though it was defeated at committee, the minister in his wisdom saw fit to bring it back, so I am afraid I have to stick with the 15%.
On the foreign ownership limit of 25% in Motion No. 6, I also agree that the power should be left to the governor in council. Again it is flexibility in the system. The government has the power to change that if at some time in the future it feels it is necessary. It does not have to come back to the legislature. It can be changed after consultation with the industry and as things unfold. This is a work in progress. The government has to have the flexibility to change because we are all getting surprises as this merger takes hold and things evolve.
We are going to support the bill as it was originally put forward. We will not be voting in favour of the amendment.