Mr. Speaker, I did not want to get up and unduly delay any activity in the House, but I have had the privilege and the honour of being the chair of the Standing Committee on Transport. I also have had the privilege of being a member of the Standing Committee on Transport since 1988 when I was first elected. I spent five years in opposition and when we became the government in 1993 I was chairman and had the privilege of being the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, three of them, and then chairman of the transport committee.
I have an understanding of where the opposition is coming from in the hope that its motion at report stage of the bill would be successful. However I must appeal to the members of the New Democratic Party. If they had talked to the employees of the airlines, both Air Canada and Canadian Airlines, then certainly they would understand that they are making it increasingly difficult for Air Canada to meet its commitments to all the employees not just of Air Canada but also of Canadian Airlines where there are 16,000 people working. By rolling back from 15% in the agreement of December 21 to 10% will limit the airline's ability to generate the revenue it must in order to support its employees and to meet its commitment to keep those employees employed. This is about saving 16,000 jobs.
Any delay will also trigger a chain of events. By asking the House to delay the vote until tomorrow means we must return tomorrow night to vote on this amendment and then our House leaders will have to find another day for third reading debate. Then we will have lost a week. I am sure it is not the intention of the New Democratic Party to lose a week.
I am concerned that any amount of delay will delay the oversight ability that is built into the bill. That is what is important. It is important for the travelling public. It is important for the employees of the airlines. It is important for the regions of the country to be served. Therefore we do not want to do that. I would hope that the NDP would see the advantage of moving on, and thereby would not call a vote that we would have to carry to tomorrow night, but to move along to the next motion and if need be, pass that motion on division.