Mr. Chairman, since September 11 the Minister of Transport has been on the job from the first hour. Canadians and members of the House forget that within three hours nearly 300 planes that were not allowed in U.S. airspace landed at every airport across Canada.
Within days other security measures were taken, measures which have not been mentioned tonight by some members of the opposition. These included drug sniffer dogs at airports across Canada. We are not saying tonight that it was enough. Nor is the minister. He announced a number of other security measures that would be taken.
Most important, it is tremendous that we as members of parliament have an opportunity tonight to put forward our ideas and thoughts and the views of our constituents on the floor of the House of Commons. The minister is here and I know the Prime Minister is listening to the debate. I hope he moves quickly on some of the constructive and doable ideas tomorrow in cabinet or before the end of the week.
I will begin with an experience I had Friday night. I landed in Toronto and got into a taxicab. Coincidentally the driver was Nick, a man who has been in the cab business for years and who happens to be, of all things, from my riding. I asked him how business was. He said that since September 11 his business was down by 50%. When someone makes a wage of $500 to $700 a week and it is all of a sudden cut in half, members must know what a shock it is to one's system, one's family, one's grocery bill and one's rent payments.
I appeal to the Minister of Transport that the debate tonight is not about Air Canada and the airline industry alone. It is about the thousands, not hundreds but thousands, of small and medium size business men and women from across the country who are affected by the operation of the airline system.
When twenty daily flights from New York City to Toronto are all of a sudden reduced to three there is a ripple effect on the person who does not have the leverage to go to a bank manager for more money. Most people cannot go to a bank manager and ask for the difference until cabinet and the House of Commons decide what will happen with the airline industry of Canada. It does not work that way. Banks do not operate that way. They will give time to the airline industries and the lead corporations but not to the thousands of small business men and women.
I appeal to the Minister of Transport, the Prime Minister and our cabinet colleagues to move quickly on this file. I will be specific in my recommendations tonight because it is a night of thinking outside the box. It is a night of trying to propose creative, constructive and doable ideas.
I do not share all the ideas of the previous speaker, my colleague from the riding of South Surrey--White Rock--Langley. It is no secret that I have always been a person who believes in government intervention.
We are facing a national challenge in terms of consumer confidence. Anyone who would challenge consumer confidence in airlines right now has not been walking through airports or flying on airplanes. We have a crisis in consumer confidence in our airline industry and we need to do something to deal it. I propose the following ideas for restoring consumer confidence.
First, we should figure out a way to creatively apply a 50% reduction to all airline fares for youth under 25 and people over 60. This would encourage and stimulate people to fly again, not just with Air Canada but with all airlines in the country. It would have a tremendous ripple effect on our tourism industry and national unity. It could be achieved through the transport committee but it should be done quickly. The reduction would apply only to flights within Canada, only outside the busy periods of Christmas and Easter and only for eight months.
We need to stimulate people to get them back on airlines. I have a lot of respect for President Bush. He gives great pep talks and tells everyone to fly to Disneyland next weekend, but it will not happen that way. In this country we must give it a stimulus. This is where I disagree with my friend from South Surrey--White Rock--Langley because her party says we should have no government stimulus.
Second, I have stood behind Air Canada from the first day I was elected to the House and will continue to stand by it. Two years ago it was voted one of the best airlines in the world. It has been going though a super bad patch since September 11, but I believe any taxpayer money that goes into stabilizing Air Canada should be exchanged for equity.
The Ministry of Industry would be responsible for that. I hope the Minister of Industry, who is sometimes referred to as Captain Canada, would agree to stabilize Air Canada even if that means it becomes a crown corporation again. That is my view. I know some people will not like it but it is my view. That is the beautiful opportunity of having a debate tonight.
Third, the member for South Surrey--White Rock--Langley said something tonight that I totally agree with. She said we cannot deal with only one airline. We must do something in the next couple of weeks that will stimulate all industries and every sector of the economy. Even before September 11 we knew we had a bit of a fragile economy.
I think my friends in the Canadian Alliance will love this idea, and I call on the Minister of Finance and every member of the House to consider it. As a bold, broad step to stimulate the whole economy we should spend the GST for one year.
This would cause a blast of confidence to go through the entire economy. It would touch every sector. It would stabilize the temptation of many industries that are thinking of laying off Canadians. As taxpayers and as a government we would ultimately pay for this through various government programs.
The beautiful thing about the GST is that we do not need to consult the provinces. We do not need to consult the municipalities. We can come in here and put it to the House. What member of parliament would not support it as a means of re-igniting the economy and touching every sector?
Yes, it would cause the Minister of Finance a bit of a jar because the standard line around here is to ask where we would get the money. However if we do nothing we may have to come back here eight months from now to find more money. Let us bite the bullet and do it now.