House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 54% of the vote.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, service in Canada's regions depends on the airlines that decide to offer this service across the country. Air Canada is in an extremely difficult situation right now.
I would like to correct one thing that my colleague said. Air Canada is not heavily subsidized by the Government of Canada.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, we always encourage competition across Canada. If there are options other than Air Canada I encourage the other airlines to provide services if they decide it is cost-effective. In the meantime, as far as the Mont-Joli airport is concerned, I would remind my hon. colleague that for a flight to be cost-effective, in general, 75% to 80% of the seats have to be filled.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, I understand the frustration of the people who had regional flights in Quebec and in Canada. Members will understand that right now, Air Canada flights are not profitable because so few people are flying. This is an unfortunate situation, one which we are working on with the airlines.
As for VIA Rail, it is a Crown corporation and chooses its own routes based on the profitability of these routes.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, we understand that people are disappointed—
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, it applies to South Surrey—White Rock just like any other part of the railway system in Canada.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, as you know, rail safety is my number one priority. I am very proud of the fact that we conduct over 33,000 inspections and audits of our railways throughout a typical year. We will continue to do so to ensure the highest level of safety possible.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, I do not want to repeat myself, but I understand what this means for the affected regions. Much of the time, the planes flying there were nowhere near full. Air Canada was losing money. We are taking a close look at the situation. I discussed the matter with Minister Bonnardel last week, so I am very aware of the situation and people's concerns across the country.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, I work for all Canadians and I am proud to do so.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, we are well aware of the situation. It is very disappointing for the affected regions. People rely on air transportation. We are monitoring the situation very closely.
At the same time, we need to recognize that Air Canada is currently flying planes that are often far from full, and the company loses money every time it does that. We are currently looking into the situation.
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Matters July 8th, 2020
Madam Chair, Air Canada's decision to cancel about 30 of its regional flights was unfortunate. That is disappointing for all those affected. At the same time, we can certainly understand the situation that Air Canada is in. It is operating its aircraft at near-empty and losing a lot of money right now. We are closely monitoring the situation.