Mr. Speaker, on September 17 the Minister of Transport dismissed our air marshals proposal as a radical suggestion. This weekend it was announced that CF-18 fighter jets have been stationed at CFB Trenton and are equipped to “shoot down a hijacked commercial airliner”.
Speaking for myself, I quite frankly would rather have an air marshal diffuse a hijacker than be shot down by a CF-18 Hornet.
If the minister is willing to put armed fighter jets in the skies to combat terrorists on commercial flights, what is wrong with putting air marshals on planes to prevent the hijacking in the first place?