Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am most grateful to my hon. colleague for giving me this opportunity and additional air time. In fact I had been on the job less than 24 hours when I made those comments. If we refer to press articles and so on we will see I made no commitment to do anything specif

Air Transport  Mr. Speaker, it is reasonable for there to be a set fee, when the cost of security is not a function of the distance flown. As we have said, we are flexible and, in the fall, we will hear representations from those concerned. It is possible that the charge will be reduced, perha

Air Transport  Mr. Speaker, as we have explained several times in the House, users pay perhaps $2.2 billion, but the total cost of the security program is $7.5 billion. We therefore feel it is reasonable for users to pay a portion of these costs, but not all of them. In addition, as we have al

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, there are two answers to the question. First, the $12 charge has the virtue of simplicity. Second, it is fair in the sense that the cost of the additional security is not a function of the cost of the ticket. It is not a function of the distance travelled. The securi

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, we want to proceed quickly, because we experienced a real crisis on September 11. The airline industry suffered huge losses. It is absolutely critical to have the confidence of those who fly. Long delays mean that the new agency cannot begin to improve security. The

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, I would think that the fundamental principle of democracy is that the House of Commons makes the ultimate decision, not the committees, and that is indeed what is happening in this case. That having been said, I did promise to the hon. member that I would convey his

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, 20-20 hindsight is wonderful. However I will take the hon. member back to September 11. There was a sense of crisis, a sense that Canadians demanded action to improve security at airports. It was not a time for more studies. It was a time for resolute action and lea

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, the great bulk of the additional security costs the government has implemented come out of the general revenue. The measures announced in the budget to improve security would total $7.7 billion. All that would come out of the general revenue except for the $2.2 billi

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, it is the Liberal government that is forward looking. It is the Canadian Alliance that is mired in the old fashioned ideas of the 1950s and 1850s. The hon. member displays his usual lamentable ignorance about the facts of the matter. The essential need is to establi

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, the government is not in the business of double paying. Apart from that I did not hear any question in the hon. member's statement.

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, I am very comfortable with the role the Prime Minister's Office has been playing in the matter. The government takes seriously the recommendations of committees, but committee recommendations are not necessarily the final word because ultimately in a democracy a gove

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, we are not overtaxing given the information we have at this time. The point the hon. member and the newspaper article fail to grasp is that the number of emplanements is not the same as the number of $12 charges. Some people flying from A to B to C will pay only $12

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, with respect to the hon. member's first question, I believe the budget announced $7.7 billion for security over a period of five years. The second question was of a technical nature regarding the woodlot owners. I do not have all the answers to that question but I w

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, as I have said, the costs are not wholly borne by users. They pay $2.2 billion of the total of $7.7 billion, or 30% of the costs. It seems to us reasonable that users pay 30% of the costs; this is not the entire cost.

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  Mr. Speaker, there is less than a year between now and the fall so there is a possibility of adjustment in less than a year. I would defend the $12 fixed amount on grounds of equity principally because the cost of this additional security is not a function of the price of the tic