Transport committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen members of the committee. Thank you for giving us this opportunity today to share our observations with you. I have been working as a lawyer at Option consommateurs for 10 years. Created in 1983, Option consommateur

Transport committee  Thank you for your question. I'm not familiar with every airline company's financial statements. However, as far as I understand the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, if an airline company went bankrupt, passengers would unfortunately probably be among the last creditors to be paid

Transport committee  I'm not sure I understand your question.

Transport committee  I have absolutely nothing against the idea of the government financially supporting airlines if they need that support, provided that money would not be given to them willy-nilly. If certain airline companies do need the government's financial support, it is the government's prer

Transport committee  As I was saying, the fact of helping airlines in itself isn't a problem if the government wants to go in that direction. As Mr. Lawford indicated earlier, it's consumer trust that's being put to the test. As for travel credits, people may not be able to use them, so there are no

Transport committee  You're talking about abuse. No one knows how long the pandemic will last. In this regard, I think any crystal ball has the same probability of giving the right answer. I know it's not easy for the airlines. They also don't have a guarantee from governments as to the assistance t

Transport committee  Since the Quebec civil code isn't a criminal code, the word “offence” is problematic for me. What is certain, however, is that the civil code includes provisions for acts of God: even in cases of an act of God, the company must reimburse any sum paid for a service that could not

Transport committee  Above all, I find it disappointing. I understand that the Canadian Transportation Agency and the federal government may say that it isn't their responsibility to enforce provincial law. To a certain extent, they are right. However, that doesn't mean that provincial law should be

Transport committee  To take advantage of travel credits, people will have to take a new trip, but it's important to remember that in some cases, as Mr. Lawford mentioned, the opportunity for the trip won't arise again in the future. People may travel on special or specific occasions that won't exist

Transport committee  Absolutely. It must be said that the bill reiterates an existing right. In our view, federal acts and regulations already provide tools that would allow consumers to access a refund. Clearly, some parties are taking a narrower interpretation. So it's a good thing to reiterate th

Transport committee  A distinction must be made between the situation where the consumer chose not to travel and the situation where the company didn't provide the service. It's one thing for the ticket not to be refunded after the consumer changed their mind. That's not what's happening here. It's r

Transport committee  Indeed, there have been difficulties with the insurers. Several of them consider travel credits as a reimbursement. They therefore refuse to reimburse consumers on the grounds that they received compensation that, in their opinion, is satisfactory. Of the two sides, the consumers

Transport committee  Thank you for your question. Personally, I haven't heard from consumers in connection with WestJet. I read in the newspapers, like everyone else, that WestJet had announced that it was going to reimburse its customers. For us, this is obviously a step in the right direction. Wha

Finance committee  Yes, that would help them manage their finances. When people receive money in a lump sum, they have to manage it on an ad hoc basis, but they have to meet basic needs over shorter periods of time. They buy groceries every week and have to pay their rent. Getting the credit every

Transport committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon, members of the committee. Thank you for receiving me and allowing me to present my comments. I have been a lawyer with Option consommateurs for 12 years. Our organization was created in 1983, and its mission is to help consumers defend thei