Mr. Speaker, the department of transport and the public first heard of the proposed expansion of, and changes to, the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on April 10, 2013.
At this time, Porter Airlines announced that they planned to purchase Bombardier C Series aircraft, but only if the City of Toronto, Ports Toronto, and the federal government amended the tripartite agreement that governs certain operations at the airport to allow an expansion of the runway and the use of the airport by jet aircraft such as the C Series.
This created, in people's minds, a link between the C Series and the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. This, however, was misleading. The future of the C Series is not tied to that airport. No aircraft, regardless of the manufacturer, is tied to a specific airport. The real discussion to be made was whether or not the changes to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport were appropriate in the circumstances.
Following the announcement in April 2013, the former government had multiple opportunities to make a decision on the future of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
On April 3, 2014, the Toronto City Council adopted a motion that asked city staff to begin negotiations with the then-Minister of Transport and Ports Toronto to, among other things, and here I am quoting:
...request the Government of Canada (represented by the Minister of Transport) to submit a letter confirming the government's commitment to managing growth at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport through caps and phasing, and their engagement in negotiating Tripartite Agreement amendments....
The government of the day could, at any time after that April 2014 decision by the Toronto City Council, have entered into the requested negotiations, and negotiations are just that, in that one party does not always have to accept exactly what the other party says. However, they did not engage.
The issue of the proposed changes to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport were discussed and debated for several years. There were many opportunities to make decisions on this issue, and this did not happen.
The members of the current government heard those debates, participated in those debates, and in November 2015, the government made a decision. The government stands by its decision regarding the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
The government feels that the current tripartite agreement strikes the right balance between commercial and residential interests. The airport provides a significant economic benefit to the city of Toronto. The remarkable growth in passengers using the airport demonstrates that, and these are largely new passengers, not a transfer of traffic from Pearson International to Billy Bishop.
For just about every city that a passenger can get to from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and from Toronto Pearson, the number of passengers has increased from both airports. The number of flights has increased, and fares have decreased. That benefits not only the city of Toronto and the cities at the other end of the flight, but the whole system. These increased flights mean more connections, more spending, and more jobs.
However, the government also had to consider other interests of the surrounding community, the people who live near the airport, the people who work near the airport, and those who use the waterfront and Toronto Islands for recreation. Those people also had to be considered. The opportunities for recreation that the waterfront and the islands provide for the entire population of Toronto are equally important.
The ongoing efforts to redevelop Toronto's waterfront also had to be considered, and as I just said, the waterfront is very important to the people of Toronto and the people who visit Toronto. The efforts to improve it, enhance it, and make it even more useful and interesting to all those people are most certainly worth protecting.
Toronto Pearson is 25 minutes from downtown Toronto by train. It is a fully jet-capable airport with flights to all parts of the world. The C Series can just as easily be operated from that airport as from Billy Bishop. There is nothing to say that Porter Airlines or any other airline is forced to fly from one airport.
Airlines are not licensed and certified to fly out of one specific airport, and they can weigh the options, make the business assessment, and choose to fly out of many airports all across the country. That is why we have an economically deregulated system. It allows airlines to exercise their business judgment.
That economically deregulated system is working well, as the recent Canada Transportation Act review said. Our major airport and air navigation infrastructure is excellent, and our airlines are profitable and internationally recognized for customer satisfaction. That system, in 2014, carried 125 million passengers and transported $116 billion worth of cargo worldwide. In 2012, it employed 141,000 Canadians, contributed $34.9 billion to the country's GDP, and paid $7 billion in provincial and federal taxes.
Porter has repeatedly demonstrated the entrepreneurial spirit that is the backbone of the entire industry. It is up to the airline to decide what best meets its needs in a given circumstance.
Porter Airlines is a commercial entity and makes decisions about the aircraft it acquires, and the markets and routes it serves in its best commercial judgment. Although its base is at the Billy Bishop airport, it can operate from any appropriate airport where the airline, in its commercial judgment, sees opportunities.
Many carriers have delivered service from Billy Bishop. Some have failed and others, such as Porter, are succeeding, but the Government of Canada must look beyond the immediate needs of a carrier and strike the right balance in ensuring the greatest public good in its decisions.
Porter Airlines has succeeded at Billy Bishop through innovation and hard work. Condé Nast Traveler's 2015 Readers' Choice Awards just named Porter Airlines as one of the best international airlines.
I have every confidence that Porter Airlines will continue, as will Bombardier, to provide innovative products and services for Canadians and the world.
Aerospace is important to the Canadian economy, and Bombardier is a key player in that sector. I realize that Bombardier faces a difficult economic situation, and this government sympathizes with the Bombardier employees who are affected by the company's restructuring announcement. The federal government will continue to work with Bombardier to better understand the company's situation and position. This government believes in Bombardier and in the C-Series aircraft.
As was said earlier, the recent announcement by Air Canada that it intends to purchase the C Series is significant, and Air Canada's commitment to maintain these aircraft in Canada further encourages job creation in our country. This government has said before that it believes that this aircraft is gaining momentum.
Bombardier is confident that the first C-Series aircraft will be delivered to Swiss Airlines International as planned in the summer, just a few months from now. The pending entry of the C Series into commercial service will give Bombardier the chance to show what it has produced to the world, what the C-series is capable of, and what it can do for airlines.
This government trusts that the C Series will demonstrate to all that it is the excellent aircraft that reports are predicting it will be, and it will be able to show that regardless of what happens with Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.