Hon. Marty Klyne: Senator Moreau, Division 17 of Bill C-31 proposes to address the growing backlog of 97,000 air travel complaints by authorizing their resolution by third parties. This approach would move away from an in-house process at the Canadian Transportation Agency and toward the model used to resolve complaints in the UK and Europe.
In the bigger picture, Gábor Lukács, President of the Air Passenger Rights advocacy group, has called on the government to harmonize its Air Passenger Protection Regulations with the European Union’s gold standard regime.
Senator Moreau, as Bill C-31 is an omnibus budget bill, do you agree that Division 17 should receive focused study in the Senate, with the opportunity to hear from voices such as Dr. Lukács?
Hon. Pierre Moreau (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for that question, Senator Klyne. Yes, I do agree. That’s the reason why the deputy leader tabled a notice of motion earlier today, providing, at paragraph 2(i), that the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications would study elements contained in Division 17 of Part 4. We agree with the premise of your question, which this directly answers.
Senator Klyne: Thank you for that, Senator Moreau.
Quality passenger air service is vital to building one Canadian economy. This includes efforts to build regional partnerships, mobilize labour and kick-start major projects service and supply.
On June 19 of last year, the Competition Bureau recommended increasing foreign investments to help lower prices and improve the quality of air service. Almost a year later, the government has yet to formally respond.
Senator Moreau, when can Canadians expect a response?
Senator Moreau: You’re aware, senator, that I cannot comment on future investments of the government, but I can tell you that the government is convinced that foreign participation in Canadian infrastructure projects highlights not only the quality of the project itself but also that Canada is a strong, reliable and competitive environment for investment.
The government is strengthening our trade corridor infrastructure, and I’m quite sure we stand behind your question. Unfortunately, I cannot provide you with any more —
[Translation]The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, Senator Moreau.