The federal Conservatives and NDP are calling on the Liberal transport minister to testify after a whole bunch of travellers have been stranded over the vacations.
The Conservative and New Democrat members of the Home of Commons transport committee despatched a letter to the committee’s chair on Wednesday requesting a gathering as quickly as attainable.
“It is not sufficient for the Liberal minister to tweet that the state of affairs was unacceptable,” NDP transport critic Taylor Bachrach stated in a media assertion on Wednesday.
“He is the minister charged with overseeing Canada’s transportation system and has particular powers underneath laws. If anybody can do one thing to guard passengers, it is him. Canadians should know what steps he took throughout the disaster and plans to soak up the long run to guard passengers.”
The chair of the committee, Liberal member of Parliament Peter Schiefke, tweeted Tuesday that he deliberate to name a gathering to deal with journey woes with the CEOs of Sunwing Airways and VIA Rail.
The opposition MPs are requesting that any hearings additionally embody a two-hour question-and-answer interval with Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.
Standing committees often meet on a beforehand adopted schedule or when known as by the chair, however a gathering will be known as on the written request of any 4 of its members.
Along with Bachrach, the Conservative Celebration’s transport critic Mark Strahl signed the letter, as did the opposite three Tories on the committee.
The chair is now required to name a gathering to think about the written request inside 5 calendar days.
NDP Chief Jagmeet Singh stated earlier Wednesday that the journey woes that left passengers stranded at airports or struggling to seek out flights house over the vacations present there ought to be extra competitors in Canada’s airspace.
In a press convention, Singh stated the dearth of alternative for passengers can be making flying much less reasonably priced. He is calling on the Liberal authorities to seek out methods to make the airline business extra aggressive.
The Canadian Transportation Company requires home air service operators to be majority-owned and managed by Canadians, limiting choices for travellers — particularly in rural or distant areas.
Over the vacations, a whole bunch of individuals have been stranded in Mexico when Sunwing cancelled flights, and the airline has stopped flying from Saskatchewan totally till subsequent month.
Air Canada is discontinuing flights from Saskatoon and Regina to Calgary this month after it discontinued flights from Yellowknife to Edmonton final yr.
Singh known as on Alghabra to make sure there’s higher oversight.
“We’d like to verify individuals have entry to having the ability to get across the nation, and that it’s reasonably priced,” Singh stated.
“And proper now, for many individuals, it isn’t in any respect. It is one thing we have to take a look at and discover options for.”
A spokesperson for Alghabra’s workplace stated the federal government is doing every part it could to assist travellers.
“All choices are on the desk to make sure that what occurred over the vacations doesn’t occur once more,” Nadine Ramadan stated in a written assertion.
