House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 60% of the vote.
Finance November 21st, 2023
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives tell us that they are worried about people and about Canadians, but they could not care less about what is happening. They could not care less about torrential rainfall, floods, forest fires or what is going on. They want us to back away from investing in climate change. They want to take us backwards, step by step, with cuts.
We will not let that happen. We will not go back to the Stone Age.
Questions on the Order Paper November 20th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), for pilot licensing, Transport Canada initiated a pilot project for recurrent pilot proficiency checks, conducted on airline pilots, to allow approved check pilots to enter their results into a digital form system to eliminate paper-based requirements and associated delays. The department has initiated a series of experiments with the Treasury Board Secretariat’s regulatory experimentation expense fund to digitize aviation licence certificates. These initiatives will expedite licensing timelines and issuance. Transport Canada has delegated the writing of commercial exams to nine flight schools with the required quality systems and is intending to expand this successful program. Canada also permits pilots from International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, member states to easily convert their pilot licences and rating to work in Canada. Approximately 300 pilots per year take advantage of this opportunity.
As to pilot training, Transport Canada published a notice of proposed amendments on approved training organization regulations to ensure that Canada is compliant with ICAO standards. This will allow Canada to bring in qualified trained pilots from abroad in a shorter period. The approved training organization regulations will also set the conditions for further follow-on amendments to increase simulation training credits and implement competency-based training and assessment rather than relying solely on prescribed hours in aircraft, a measure that will help train more pilots faster.
Transport Canada has been collaborating with Employment and Social Development Canada, ESDC, and the provinces and territories on exploring solutions to address Canada’s pilot shortage. Transport Canada has briefed officials across ESDC programs on the economic impacts of transportation sector labour shortages as well as gaps in training and skills funding for key transportation occupations.
Transportation occupations, including aviation pilots, are now considered one of six key sectors eligible to request project funding in the sectoral workforce solutions program, which provides targeted, sector-focused investments to support skills and training. The sectoral workforce solutions program supported two large projects in the transportation sector in 2023, including the close to $50 million project by the Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace, CCAA, to support aviation maintenance engineers.
Transport Canada recently developed a program gap analysis with ESDC with a focus on supports available for pilot training. It illustrated that most of the high costs associated with becoming a pilot are not eligible for funding under existing programming. For example, the Canada student financial assistance, CSFA, program is only available to students attending a flight school that is registered as a designated educational institution under the CSFA. Although opportunities may exist to recognize more flight schools’ eligibility under the CSFA and registered education savings plan, only the small in-class portions could be included. Other potentially relevant ESDC programs were assessed, but either pilot training is ineligible or funding is well below the required costs of training new pilots. The youth employment and skills strategy could support youth entering the industry. However, Transport Canada would need new authorities to develop its own youth employment and skills program with a separate funding stream.
Transport Canada is working with provincial and territorial transportation ministries through a dedicated working group on labour and skills shortages under the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety. Transport Canada is also exploring how to address pilot shortages through a new working group on regional air access under the Atlantic growth strategy, in collaboration with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, ACOA.
With regard to part (b), based on the Conference Board of Canada, the direct cost of excess vacancies in the Canadian air transportation sector in 2022 was $58.3 million Canadian. Please note that this is for all excess vacancies in the air transportation sector, including air pilots, and that the total cost for the Canadian economy is likely higher, as the air pilot shortage is hindering the capacity of some sectors to import and/or export high-value goods by air.
With regard to part (c), Canada currently faces a shortage of 3,000 pilots, while projections indicate that this could grow to 19,711 vacancies by 2032. Presently, fewer than 1,500 new commercially licensed pilots, including both Canadian and foreign students, graduate annually in Canada. Only 70% of graduates work in the Canadian industry, partly because some foreign pilot students return to their source countries to pursue their aviation careers. To offset these losses, between 1,900 and 2,500 additional pilots are required each year. This requires attracting Canadians to become pilots and using targeted immigration pathways to bring trained pilots or student pilots into Canada.
With regard to part (d), there is no projected end to the pilot shortage. The projected increase of pilot shortages in Canada could rise to up to 19,711 vacancies by 2032, as mentioned in the above text.
Questions on the Order Paper November 20th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, Transport Canada does not collect or have access to this information.
National Airport System airport authorities are private, not-for-profit corporations that lease airport lands from the federal government. During the term of the lease, each airport authority is solely responsible for the day-to-day operation, management, and development of the airport. The airport authority itself is also responsible for the setting of fees for commercial access to the airport, and those fees are not monitored or collected by Transport Canada. As such, any request for this type of information should be addressed to the airport authorities directly.
Finance November 20th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, our colleague here has just told us that he intends to cut COVID spending. I think it is important to inform him that COVID spending is over.
He also wants to make cuts in other areas because that is the Conservative policy. Where are they going to cut? Day care? Seniors? The fight against climate change?
Some things are clear. They want to set us back on everything: firearms, women's rights, fundamental rights. They want to send us back to the Stone Age.
Persons with Disabilities November 9th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent work. This morning, I had a very productive meeting with my colleague, the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, and representatives from Air Canada, including the CEO, Michael Rousseau.
We told them that what happened is unacceptable and that we wanted to know what they intend to do to remedy the situation. Air Canada committed to investing in specialized equipment and training and to improving boarding and disembarking processes. We told them that we would see them again in December to find out what they have accomplished.
Carbon Pricing November 7th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from people who think that human beings and dinosaurs coexisted or that The Flintstones TV show is a documentary.
We are going to fight climate change. The Conservatives want to make us backtrack on fundamental rights, guns and the environment. They want to take us back to the Stone Age.
Carbon Pricing November 7th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, look who has come out of the woodwork. Where was our colleague this summer when the rivers were overflowing? Where was he this summer when the forest fires were burning? Where was he when people were being displaced pretty much everywhere? The Conservatives, with their regressive policies and their climate change denial, want to try to set us back. They want to take us back to the Stone Age.
Carbon Pricing November 6th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, for once, I agree with my colleague. He just confirmed that we are headed for a stone-age government. Those were his words. We are headed back in time. We are returning to the past. This is a step backwards in terms of fundamental rights, gun control and the fight against climate change. He clearly said that we were heading back to the Stone Age. That is appalling.
We will never go back.
Carbon Pricing November 6th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, we seem to be in a time machine. The Conservatives want to roll back fundamental rights and women's rights. They want to back down on banning assault weapons. They want to turn back the clock on the fight against climate change. They probably cannot even spell “climate change”. Simply put, they want to take us back to the Stone Age.
Carbon Pricing November 6th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition wants to talk about Quebec. Quebeckers have other priorities.
The Leader of the Opposition wants to take Quebec backward when it comes to fighting climate change. He wants to take Quebec backward on fundamental rights, on women's rights. He wants to take Quebec backward by putting assault weapons back on the streets.
It is very clear that the Conservative leader wants to bring Quebeckers and Canada back to the Stone Age.