I'm curious as to how heavily invested in WestJet stock the Federal NDP are. Between the Passengers Bill of Rights proposed by NDP MP Jim Maloway , to this proposed legislation by MP Peter Julian, they seem bound and determined to do everything within their power to keep Air Canada from ever making a profit.
Now, i'm not the world's biggest Air Canada fan, and I avoid flying them whenever I can, but I have SERIOUS issues with government telling private business how they should operate, especially people like Julian and Maloway who, IMO, have zero understanding of what running an airline and the challenges involved are. When government starts telling a private business what to do, well, we have problems...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2009
NDP BILL WOULD LET AIR CANADA CREATE JOBS IN VANCOUVER
Ottawa – Peter Julian, MP (Burnaby-New Westminster) and NDP International Trade Critic, today tabled a Private Member’s Bill in the House of Commons, Bill C-379, An Act to amend the Air Canada Public Participation Act. The Bill would amend section 6(c) of the act to require an “operational and overhaul centre” for Air Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“Vancouver is the gateway to the Asia-Pacific world and a major centre for domestic and international travel. Air Canada is important to us, not just to maintain Canada’s air lift capacity but also to ensure that high skilled jobs are created and retained all across the country including in BC”, stated Julian.
At critical points in its history, Air Canada has been the regular recipient of public funding in order to ensure it remains as a national airline capable of serving not only business interests, but the national interest of the travelling public. The Bill would improve service to Canadian travelers by allowing for more planes to be serviced and maintained in the BC region. It would also ensure that service and safety positions such as stewards and flight attendants are maintained in BC.
“It is fundamentally important strategically to keep those high skilled jobs in Canada and that our transport infrastructure needs to be served by appropriate made-in-Canada infrastructure. The creation of an operational and overhaul centre for Air Canada is consistent with this vision for a national transportation system built in the public interest.”