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Air Transportation

During question period on air transportation, Dan Albas of the Conservatives raised a CBC News report about passengers being denied compensation after Air Canada swapped aircraft and attributed cancellations to safety. He argued that airlines should not be able to use aircraft swaps to avoid paying compensation, said Parliament gave the government authority to close this loophole in 2023, and asked the minister to act immediately. Parliamentary Secretary Mike Kelloway replied that Canada’s air passenger protection rules are designed to protect passengers while treating safety as the priority, that airlines make their own operational and safety decisions, and that the government expects airlines to apply the rules responsibly and give passengers clear, accurate information about delays and cancellations.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

2 statements

Dan Albas

Conservative
“Airlines should not be able to swap airplanes to avoid paying passengers compensation. Parliament gave the government the power to fix this loophole in 2023, but the Liberals still have not done it. I want the minister to close this loophole right away.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, airlines should not be able to swap out an airplane and make passengers’ rights disappear right along with it. This week, CBC News Go Public’s special investigation exposed passengers being denied compensation after Air Canada swapped their aircraft and blamed the cancellations on safety-related maintenance. Parliament gave the power to close this loophole in 2023. Three years later, the Liberals still have not finished the job. How much longer should passengers have to wait? Will the minister close this loophole and immediately get this regulation into effect?

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Mike Kelloway

Liberal

Linked statement

“Our rules protect passengers while keeping safety first. Airlines must make their own safety choices and follow the rules. We expect them to give passengers clear, accurate information when flights are delayed or cancelled.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 47 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Canada’s air passenger protection rules are designed to protect passengers while recognizing that safety must always come first. Airlines are responsible for making operational and safety decisions and applying regulations appropriately. We expect airlines to apply the rules responsibly and provide passengers with clear, accurate information about flight delays and cancellations.

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