Presentation to the Standing Committee on Transportation and Government Orders
Mike Wing, National President of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, presented a statement to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport and Government Orders on Thursday, November 1, 2001. The text presented follows. We will make the Hansard text of the proceeding available on this website as soon as it is available. The other presentation to the Standing Committee was made by John Crichton, CEO of NAV Canada, who presented his company's views on the events of September 11 and their aftermath.
Thank you Mr. Chairman. As the President of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, I come before you today to express the grave concerns that our members and I have with the issue of airport security, in the post September 11 era.
While it may be difficult to find consensus on who should perform passenger screening at our airports, I believe there is consensus within the industry that having the airlines contract this work out to the lowest bidder is not the correct solution. We need to improve security and restore the Canadian public’s confidence in the system.
The question I bring to this Committee is: who should be performing this function?
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) believes that airports should take over this responsibility. The Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) wants a non-profit organization, built upon the NAV Canada model, to take over. UCTE, along with other aviation experts around the world, believes this function should be the sole responsibility of the federal government.
The CAC’s position to have airports take over this function might work for the large Class 1 airports. On the other hand, I believe this not to be the case for some of the smaller airports, airports that were struggling for economic survival under privatization prior to Sept. 11. Not all airports are equal. The CAC’s solution does not address the potential lack of consistency of application. Mr. Chairman, we need a national solution to deal with airport security. Passengers must be able to feel safe flying our skies, regardless of whether they are boarding at Pearson or Deer Lake.
The ATAC’s idea of installing another not-for-profit organization, such as NAV Canada, is not a viable solution. As an organization that represents members at NAV Canada, we believe that it is too early to tell whether the NAV Canada model has been successful or whether it should be duplicated.
This leaves the federal government to takeover these functions.
In yesterday’s Ottawa Citizen, Mr. Benoit (President of the CAC), put forward the argument , that this would be a conflict of interest~ something which may be as true for the airports as it is for the airlines.
However, it is my belief -- Mr. Chairman-- that the government does not have a vested interest, no shareholders, and no stakeholders. The only interest the federal government has is that of protecting and ensuring the safety and security of the Canadian public.
UCTE takes exception to the comments made by the CAC that public service employee contracts would somehow compromise the job that needs to be done. It needs to be noted that public service employees are conscientious, dedicated and professional workers, who, within minutes of the planes crashing into the WTC, stepped up to ensure the Canadian public’s safety. Many worked around the clock to ensure safety; many still do. This knock against federal employees and what they are about, or do, is nothing more than a tired old stereotype that is no longer valid. In times of crisis, the Canadian public has always relied on its leaders and the members of the public service; to suggest that public service employees are nothing more than slackers feeding at the public trough is to do them, as well as the Canadian public a grave disservice.
Another area to be addressed is the need for increased staffing of inspectors at Transport Canada. Currently, there are approximately 50 employees who, prior to September 11, ensured federal regulations were followed in the fields of aviation, marine and rails, transportation of dangerous goods and cabin safety. Because of the recent attention and urgent need to have people dealing with the current crisis, all those inspectors are now working on aviation-related inspections, at the expense of other areas.
The Minister recently announced that 27 inspectors would be hired. Mr Chairman, this does not even come close to the actual current requirements. Transport Canada has identified a need for an additional 80 inspectors to deal with the supplemental workload but there are no plans to provide funding until the next fiscal year. This is not quick enough to deal with the crisis we are now facing.
Mr. Chairman, on behalf of my members, I am strongly calling upon this federal government to shape a bill and/or a framework that will allow this government to take over responsibility for airport security and airport screening.
Mr. Chairman, with that I invite questions. Thank you.
Mike Wing, National President of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, presented a statement to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport and Government Orders on Thursday, November 1, 2001. The text presented follows. We will make the Hansard text of the proceeding available on this website as soon as it is available. The other presentation to the Standing Committee was made by John Crichton, CEO of NAV Canada, who presented his company's views on the events of September 11 and their aftermath.
Thank you Mr. Chairman. As the President of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, I come before you today to express the grave concerns that our members and I have with the issue of airport security, in the post September 11 era.
While it may be difficult to find consensus on who should perform passenger screening at our airports, I believe there is consensus within the industry that having the airlines contract this work out to the lowest bidder is not the correct solution. We need to improve security and restore the Canadian public’s confidence in the system.
The question I bring to this Committee is: who should be performing this function?
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) believes that airports should take over this responsibility. The Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) wants a non-profit organization, built upon the NAV Canada model, to take over. UCTE, along with other aviation experts around the world, believes this function should be the sole responsibility of the federal government.
The CAC’s position to have airports take over this function might work for the large Class 1 airports. On the other hand, I believe this not to be the case for some of the smaller airports, airports that were struggling for economic survival under privatization prior to Sept. 11. Not all airports are equal. The CAC’s solution does not address the potential lack of consistency of application. Mr. Chairman, we need a national solution to deal with airport security. Passengers must be able to feel safe flying our skies, regardless of whether they are boarding at Pearson or Deer Lake.
The ATAC’s idea of installing another not-for-profit organization, such as NAV Canada, is not a viable solution. As an organization that represents members at NAV Canada, we believe that it is too early to tell whether the NAV Canada model has been successful or whether it should be duplicated.
This leaves the federal government to takeover these functions.
In yesterday’s Ottawa Citizen, Mr. Benoit (President of the CAC), put forward the argument , that this would be a conflict of interest~ something which may be as true for the airports as it is for the airlines.
However, it is my belief -- Mr. Chairman-- that the government does not have a vested interest, no shareholders, and no stakeholders. The only interest the federal government has is that of protecting and ensuring the safety and security of the Canadian public.
UCTE takes exception to the comments made by the CAC that public service employee contracts would somehow compromise the job that needs to be done. It needs to be noted that public service employees are conscientious, dedicated and professional workers, who, within minutes of the planes crashing into the WTC, stepped up to ensure the Canadian public’s safety. Many worked around the clock to ensure safety; many still do. This knock against federal employees and what they are about, or do, is nothing more than a tired old stereotype that is no longer valid. In times of crisis, the Canadian public has always relied on its leaders and the members of the public service; to suggest that public service employees are nothing more than slackers feeding at the public trough is to do them, as well as the Canadian public a grave disservice.
Another area to be addressed is the need for increased staffing of inspectors at Transport Canada. Currently, there are approximately 50 employees who, prior to September 11, ensured federal regulations were followed in the fields of aviation, marine and rails, transportation of dangerous goods and cabin safety. Because of the recent attention and urgent need to have people dealing with the current crisis, all those inspectors are now working on aviation-related inspections, at the expense of other areas.
The Minister recently announced that 27 inspectors would be hired. Mr Chairman, this does not even come close to the actual current requirements. Transport Canada has identified a need for an additional 80 inspectors to deal with the supplemental workload but there are no plans to provide funding until the next fiscal year. This is not quick enough to deal with the crisis we are now facing.
Mr. Chairman, on behalf of my members, I am strongly calling upon this federal government to shape a bill and/or a framework that will allow this government to take over responsibility for airport security and airport screening.
Mr. Chairman, with that I invite questions. Thank you.