Mr. Speaker, the financial performance of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport is worrisome.
Over the past four years, it has fallen to fourth on the list of Canada's busiest airports, behind Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. There are currently no direct flights between Montreal and large cities in South America or Asia, even though those are growing markets.
The federal government has not paid enough attention to Trudeau airport in the last few years. Trudeau airport should not be just another transit airport. An economic decision based on the value of opening up connections to these markets must be made.
This means more people flying out of Trudeau airport directly to destinations such as Shanghai, Seoul, Rio de Janeiro, and Buenos Aires.
An increase in the number of such direct flights is absolutely necessary. We can do this while respecting the health of those citizens surrounding the airport.
The Government of Canada must act now.