Douglas Young

[Air Transport, March 29th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian aviation industry would explain to my hon. friend that the progress we have made in the last 14 or 15 months is unparalleled in Canadian aviation history.

We have been able to arrange a situation in which as of the end of this year every allocation of an air route in this country will be absolutely transparent. There will be conditions and criteria that allow for Canadian Airlines International and Air Canada to plan, to purchase aircraft, to lease aircraft, to do their marketing in an atmosphere of certainty unheard of in the aviation industry in Canada.

The proof of that is even before we announced the second designation based on the 300,000 passenger level, Air Canada had already indicated it was in the process of hiring nearly 1,000 new employees: pilots, attendants and people who work in maintenance and on ground activities.

I understand the hon. member's distaste for the progress we have been able to make. The airline industry in Canada is in better shape today than it has been for the last 20 years.

[Air Transport, March 29th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows perfectly well that negotiations with the Hong Kong airport authorities were concluded only a few days ago.

When we decided to establish a level of 300,000 passengers before identifying a second destination, we made sure that there would be two locations on this planet where this rule would come into force this year: in Germany and Hong Kong.

As I have already pointed out, for the past 14 months Air Canada has had access to Japan, a market this airline has coveted for a very long time. It is now able to prepare for its arrival in Hong Kong, another very important market. For Canadian Airlines International, which needs landing rights in Germany and other destinations in Asia, it is also very important to be able to plan ahead and have some certainty when agreements are negotiated, not only with these countries but also with the financial institutions that support these airlines.

I still say that, after all, Air Canada president Hollis Harris said publicly that he appreciated the work done by a government that opened these markets to Air Canada for the first time in its history.

[Points Of Order, March 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I place on the record of the House the document to which I referred.

Just for the record, it was made public in December of last year in the court proceedings.

[Points Of Order, March 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform critic and the hon. leader of the fifth party in the House have both raised a point of order dealing with the issue of the report.

I know the hon. leader of the fifth party is not often in the House and the Reform critic often misses-

[Pearson International Airport, March 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, a court case is now under way. The other place will determine whether it wishes to pursue the matter.

I would have thought the hon. member and most responsible members in the House of Commons would understand the biggest threat that exists at Pearson today is the fact that we could have 10,000 to 15,000 people working at Pearson. We could be building the kind of facility that the travelling public deserve if only people would act in a responsible way.

At this time in our history when the budget has been brought in, with all the efforts being made by Canadians from coast to coast to get our fiscal House in order, the hon. member and others are prepared for political purposes, and for political purposes only, to put the Canadian taxpayer at risk for $445 million.

[Pearson International Airport, March 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party member who asked the first question inquired whether I had read the report. I indicated that I had. It seems the transport critic for Reform has not read it.

Two options were put forward in the document to which the hon. member refers. Let me tell you what the two options are, Mr. Speaker, so the hon. member will be aware of them.

One option was to cancel the deal. That was the option in the document. The second was to renegotiate the deal. Nowhere in the document did anybody recommend that the deal that was struck days before the election by a lame duck government should be maintained.

[Pearson International Airport, March 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is a rather pathetic sight to see Reform Party members who talk of trying to save money for the Canadian taxpayer and who are very concerned about getting the facts bring up a matter like this. Not only did I read the report but I also read the Nixon report.

What the hon. member might be better off doing is checking with the staff at Transport Canada, including the deputy minister and assistant deputy minister, who were not privy to writing the report. Not only that, they were sent home because the government that was there at the time the deal was done did not like the kind of advice it was getting from senior public servants at Transport Canada.

[Pearson International Airport, March 28th, 1995]

I can say that the report in question, which was dated November 4, and an earlier report had been prepared prior to my becoming the Minister of Transport. I want to indicate to the hon. member that nowhere in that report did it indicate that the deal was one that should be supported by the government.

[Pearson International Airport, March 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately for the Reform Party, we do not have Stephen Leacock working at Transport Canada.

[Air Transportation, March 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I assure the hon. Leader of the Opposition that the decision was not imposed by the Prime Minister. It was the result of a great deal of work.

I point out to my hon. friend that Air Canada, prior to the announcement on the second designation levels for Canadian carriers, had already announced that it was going to employ nearly 1,000 Canadians in its operations as pilots, as flight attendants and as ground personnel.

The growth and future of Air Canada and Canadian Airlines International will be the result of a series of initiatives undertaken by the government after a great deal of work.

In response to the question of the hon. Leader of the Opposition, I believe the attitude exhibited by Hollis Harris and Kevin Jenkins ushers in a new era of confidence for the employees of Canadian Airlines International, of Air Canada, as well as the shareholders of both companies and the Canadian travelling public.