Mr. Minister of Transport Marc Garneau,

The Canadian Airline industry is in major difficulty and is in need of support from the government right now! According to the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) statistics, the overall air transport and tourism sector collectively supports more than 630 000 jobs and 3.2% of national GDP. As a result of the hiatus to travel brought on by the Covid-19 Pandemic and the closure of the Canadian border, many companies responsible for these jobs are drowning in expenses and what took years to carefully build suddenly vanished in a matter of months, with more pain in sight.

ICAO, whose headquarters are in Montreal, published an extensive document (C.A.R.T) back in May 2020 which would have served as a guideline for Countries to safely reopen their borders and operate their airlines in this new landscape. Instead of using this readily available resource, our government has chosen to maintain and extend their border restrictions and lengthy quarantine periods which have essentially stopped the revival our airline ecosystem.

IATA, another Montreal headquartered international organisation, has recently encouraged the Canadian government to relax travel restrictions. The greater the economic damage to the industry, the less competitive and poised for recovery it will be as other countries provide significant direct financial aid to their own carriers.

We know the travel industry will rebound eventually. Our main concern is that without the immediate support of the Government, many of Canada’s airlines will not survive. This will leave thousands out of work, and the trickle-down effect will be incredible, not just to local economies but to Canada as whole. The loss of tax revenue is significant, and as our national debt is skyrocketing with the financial aid programs required to help Canadian industries, people are starting to ask, where is that money going to come from? People need and want to start working again.

Most of the G7 countries have already come to the rescue of their airlines, because they recognise their importance. We urge the Cabinet to please consider without delay assistance to the industry. Most importantly, we urge the Canadian Government to rapidly adopt a scientific and risk-based approach to the easing of Canada’s border restrictions.

This virus will not go away in the immediate future. If we do not act now, airlines certainly will be going away. If IATA, ICAO, and many countries recognise the important role of airlines in our global economic recovery, why is it that the Canadian Government does not?

“These measures, applicable to States, airport operators, airlines, and others in the air transport industry, are designed to enable a consistent and predictable travel experience. They will also contribute to the efficient, safe, secure, and sustainable transport by air of an increasing number of passengers and cargo and will minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission between and among these groups and the general public. The implementation of these measures will facilitate and strengthen the global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.” C.A.R.T - Council Aviation Recovery Task Force.

On the 23rd of September 2020, the second session of the 43rd Parliament is due to open at 2pm. We implore you to make the issues facing your Canadian Aviation Industry a priority item in your discussions.

Please accept, the expression of our distinguished feelings.

Aviation workers made redundant in Canada by the COVID-19 crisis