Transport committee  They're efficient in the vast majority of cases. In cases of pilot fatigue and so on, companies have to be responsible, but pilots also have to act professionally.

Transport committee  We think that the costs have become the highest. We were in second place before the 50%, 52% or 53% increase, depending on the costs—there are three different ones. We have the same questions as you do: is the CATSA well managed, in an effective and efficient manner? We see that it is hiring hundreds of people because of the new measures that were announced after Christmas, and so we are wondering about that.

Transport committee  None of the pilots or terrorists involved was a commercial pilot. These were people who had taken an elementary piloting course and took over the cabin. They did not have proper training and they were not employees of airline companies.

Transport committee  Indeed, they were passengers on the plane before they took control of it.

Transport committee  I dare to say that Canada and Israel are vastly different countries, and we have vastly different cultures. I don't think we're ready to be walking through airports and seeing armed military personnel all over the airport.

Transport committee  That needs to be determined, but right now we don't know what is being done with the cost of it. That's our preoccupation.

Transport committee  I'm saying that right now they largely don't use the main terminal, because they go on chartered flights through the FBOs, and so on. There's talk about requiring them to go through the terminals rather than through the system of the FBOs, and that's what we stand against, because you don't need to attract more attention and more reasons for a threat.

Transport committee  First of all, we will make the 2008 study on the security charges available to all members of the committee, for your information. We'll send it to Ms. Charron, of course. One of the big challenges we have in putting together this guidebook for small operators—because we do believe that an adapted SMS is beneficial to all types of operators—is that we have to convince Transport Canada in our dialogue with them that one size doesn't fit all.

Finance committee  Yes, I am, sir.

Finance committee  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is John McKenna. I'm president and CEO of the Air Transport Association of Canada. I'm accompanied today by Mike Skrobica, vice-president, industry monetary affairs. ATAC has represented Canada's commercial air transport industry for over 75 years.

Finance committee  Well, sir, that is part of the problem. We haven't had an Auditor General's report on this subject since 2004-05, so we can only go...and we can't have access to those numbers. We have asked for them many times, from various sources, and we can't have access to them. We can only speculate.

Finance committee  It doesn't quite add up, sir. Of course, they bought 44 scanners and they need more personnel to operate them, but scanners cost $250,000 apiece. I don't think that quite mounts up to $300 million.

Finance committee  Thank you for asking that question, sir. When these charges were introduced, we were assured that all the funds collected would be intended exclusively for airport security and that's why we asked those questions.

Finance committee  It was in December 2001.

Finance committee  I would say the government made that promise to us.