Omar Alghabra

[Air Transportation, January 28th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the safety and security of the travelling public is a top priority of mine and a top priority of our government.

Nav Canada is undertaking several studies to assess the level of service needed. No decision has been made. It is important to note that any changes in the level of service proposed by Nav Canada will be subjected to a rigorous safety assessment by Transport Canada. The process provides for full consultation with all affected stakeholders.

No compromise on safety will be taken.

[Health, January 28th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of the pandemic, our government has taken the spread of the virus extremely seriously. We have advised Canadians to cancel all non-essential travel. We have banned foreigners from entering the country. We have required arrivals to quarantine for 14 days. We are now requiring arrivals to be pre-tested before entering Canada. We are currently examining further options and policy decisions to restrict our border.

[Health, January 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, since March 2020, we have asked Canadians to reconsider and cancel their discretionary travel. We have also banned foreign travellers to Canada, and now we are requiring travellers coming into Canada to be tested and to have a negative COVID test before arriving. As the Prime Minister has said, we are also exploring further options to make sure we are containing the spread of the virus and doing everything we can to protect the health of Canadians.

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to air travel complaints sent to the Canadian Transportation Agency, CTA, since February 1, 2020, broken down by month and subject, the answers for part (a) are as follows: February: 4776, March: 3625, April: 2349, May: 1396, June: 1128, July: 1199, August: 897, September: 943, October: 1029, and November: 260, as of November 10. The total is 17,602

The CTA is currently processing the complaints received for the period referenced. A detailed breakdown of the subject of each complaint is not available.

The CTA reports on the subject of complaints received in its annual report. The 2019-20 annual report can be found at: www.otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/publication/annual-report-2019-2020#sec10

With regard to part (b), of the complaints referenced in part (a), the CTA has processed over approximately 6,000 complaints since February 1, 2020.

With regard to part (c), the answers are as follows. With regard to facilitation, of all air travel facilitations closed, 80% are completed within 30 calendar days/20 business days from the communication of the initial position of both parties to the conclusion of facilitation.

With regard to mediation, of all air travel complaint mediations closed, 100% are completed within 30 calendar days/20 business days or within such longer period as requested by both parties.

With regard to adjudication, 80% of all air travel complaint adjudications are processed within 120 calendar days/85 business days from the opening of pleadings to the issuance of a decision, net of any pleadings filed beyond the standard answer/reply period, as established in the dispute adjudication rules.

With regard to part (d), between March 25 and June 30, 2020, the CTA temporarily paused interactions with airlines related to dispute resolution activities, to permit them to focus on immediate and urgent operational demands like repatriating Canadians stranded abroad. However, during this period, CTA staff continued to triage and process complaints, communicate with passengers and address issues raised where possible.

Notwithstanding the pause and the sudden and sustained shift to remote work, the CTA has maintained productivity levels comparable to last year’s. It has processed over 6,000 complaints since the beginning of the pandemic, including over 3,100 complaints pertaining to flight disruptions.

The CTA anticipates that resolution of complaints filed in the period after the APPR came fully into force and before the pandemic disrupted global air travel will be facilitated by the major inquiry it launched in February 2020, which focuses on alleged failures by airlines to respect their communications-related obligations under the APPR. The report of an inquiry officer assigned to gather evidence on those allegations was recently published.

[Air Transportation, January 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the conversation he and I had last week. I wanted to reach out to him and all of my critics to ensure that they know that I am willing to work with them on issues that matter to Canadians.

As I said earlier, we are very much aware of the frustrations many Canadians have because of the lack of refunds. We as a government have already committed $1.1 billion to support key players, such as airport authorities and regional airlines. Discussions are ongoing with the airlines to ensure that Canadians get their refunds and that regional routes are retained.

[Health, January 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, we are very much aware of the situation. We are considering all options. Let me remind my colleague that since March 2020, we have advised all Canadians to avoid unnecessary or non-essential international travel. We have put extra measures in place. We have banned foreigners from travelling to Canada for non-essential purposes. We have also implemented pre-departure testing to ensure that all arrivals to Canada are tested for COVID before arrival.

[Air Transportation, January 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we are aware of how frustrating the situation is for Canadians. We are very much supportive of our airline industry and sector. Discussions are ongoing with the airline sector to prepare a support package, but members can rest assured that no support package will happen without refunds for passengers and support for our regional routes.

[Marcos Marcos, December 11th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House to share the sad news of the passing of Father Marcos Marcos.

Father Marcos was born in Sohag, Egypt. He attended Hartford University in Connecticut where he received a bachelor's degree in divinity and then went on to receive a master's degree in psychology.

In 1964, Father Marcos was ordained by Pope Kyrillos VI and came to Toronto. He became the first Coptic Orthodox priest in North America. For years, Father Marcos travelled across North America to serve members of the Coptic community. He was instrumental in establishing the first churches in Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and New York. Last year, he was honoured for 55 years of faithful service. He was beloved by everyone.

When I offered my condolences to Father Angelos yesterday, he told me that “Father Marcos was truly an inspiration and role model for all of us.”

I extend my sincere condolences to the family of Father Marcos and the entire Coptic community in Canada and around the world.

[Points of Order, December 8th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, if he is not willing to say it himself, I can point him out. It is the hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil.

Maybe he wants to explain what he said here in the chamber.

[Points of Order, December 8th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

Two or three months ago, when a Conservative member of Parliament on Twitter tweeted about a far-right anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about the relationship between George Soros and our Deputy Prime Minister, she apologized and deleted the tweet, so you can understand why I was surprised when I heard a member of Parliament here in the chamber, today, repeat and peddle the same conspiracy theory again.

I want to give my hon. colleague the chance to withdraw his comments and apologize for what he said here today.