Transport committee  At the root of all this is the lack of flights. The solution is to get the industry moving again. Support the industry and it will return. Get that connectivity. As we heard from our colleagues in Atlantic Canada, whether someone is coming from Asia into Canada to go to the Anne of Green Gables house or coming in to go to our great national park in Banff, connectivity to the world and connectivity across Canada is what will drive traffic, and what will drive traffic will give the revenue in the traffic over to air traffic control.

Transport committee  Yes, they do. There are requirements that are stated by Transport Canada and enabled through our various training programs. With the reduced flying, we have many pilots who have been put on idle, essentially, so although we have the 600 furloughed, we have others who have not flown in some time and are waiting for an opportunity.

Transport committee  First off, thank you for the question. We have, in our case, 600 members who are laid off, many other members who are inactive, and of course our large contingent who are not working nearly as hard as they can. They see not just their profession, but their avocation, slipping away without any support.

Transport committee  Yes.

Transport committee  I'm sorry. Thank you for the opportunity. We have a significant number of our members laid off. For pilots, it's more than just a job. It's a profession; it's an avocation. To have that taken away from you when you have a career in front of you with a tremendous opportunity....

Transport committee  I think the key to this is to work with science. Obviously, everyone in Canada wants to make sure our country is safe and that we don't introduce something we can't control from a public health perspective. At the same time, the aviation infrastructure in Canada is like our electrical grid, like our highway network, and we can't let it falter in the long run.

Transport committee  Obviously, Transport Canada has oversight on this issue. As I said before, the ability to have a well-trained controller providing air traffic separation and control into an airport reduces the risk overall. It increases the efficiency of the operation, as well as reducing the carbon footprint.

Transport committee  Thank you, and sorry about the connectivity issues. Very clearly, a high-level review and study is required, but suffice it to say that controlled airports, like everything in aviation, are about risk management. A controlled airport that has reduced its risk makes operations more efficient, which also reduces the carbon footprint, so obviously there is a clear linkage there.

Transport committee  I would support Mr. Mueller's view that the time for action is now. While the CEWS program is of some assistance, it's for those employees who are still employed. In Air Canada's case, our particular group has a significant number laid off. As well, in the larger company, 20,000 are laid off, so clearly the aviation sector needs assistance.

Transport committee  Thank you very much, and thanks to the committee for inviting me here today. I've been a pilot and, in the later half of my career, have worked in senior and executive roles in the airline industry. I've seen 9/11 and SARS, which were terrible. The current challenge far exceeds anything we've ever seen before.

Transport committee  Yes, absolutely we would. We believe that this is something that should be ingrained and captured going forward. We've been party to this recertification, which is encouraging. We think that the experience of front-line pilots in a certification process gives an independent analysis of those who are operating the aircraft and an opportunity for questions from people who are not formally in the process and who cannot be influenced.

Transport committee  Obviously, the process is not yet complete. Our crews have been getting trained on the 737 Max simulator, of which we have two at Air Canada. The Air Canada Pilots Association members are training on that aircraft. Once the certification process in Canada is completed, there will be more training done at that point, but we're not through the process yet.

Transport committee  There is no higher priority for an airline pilot than the safety of his passengers, his crew and his aircraft. I can say that with certainty. Certainly, in the Canadian environment, with the experience I've had, it is the absolute highest priority. The crews I have been exposed to, worked with and had working for me over the years understand that this is the most important priority.

Transport committee  The aircraft that we fly today are much different from the aircraft we flew when I started my career. The aircraft are complex man-machine interfaces with very complex computer systems that assist the pilots and that have proven over time to reduce the incident and accident rate.

Transport committee  As I said in my comments, I believe we have the absolute expertise, world-class expertise, to do independent certification here in Canada, not only of the 737 Max but of other aircraft and future aircraft. We would support that view. We believe front-line pilots should be involved in the process.