Mr. Chairman, I would like to acknowledge all the members who are here this evening to take part in this take note debate to highlight some of the key issues related to the September 11 attack.
From the airline industry perspective, we are looking at three specific types of issues. First is the security of airports. Second, is the devastation of the industry and the economy and the domino effects it will have. Going along with that, third, and it is important that we list it and pay special attention to it, is the number of workers who will be laid off as a result of the number of the companies that have been affected. This has been mentioned by my colleague from the Bloc and we need to highlight that as a key issue.
On the last issue and the second one, it will involve not only the transport minister's willingness but the willingness of the members of his cabinet to do what was intended by their own departments. I will comment on those a little further.
I will start off by commenting on the security. The minister mentioned a number of things that have been done. Quite frankly, a number of things now being done as we go through airport security, such as checking with electronic devices and all these things, have been in place for a number of years. They should have happened all along, but there was a failure to ensure that they were being done. Electronic devices were always supposed to be checked. Every laptop was to be opened and every cellular phone and camera checked. However the travelling public gets in the way of that.
Security guards take a lot of flack at the airports. They earn $6 or $7 an hour.