Wednesday, March 23, 2005
For Immediate Release
Toronto - There is nothing to be gained from entering into a new round of ‘Open Skies’ negotiations with the U.S. according to Dave Ritchie, General Vice President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
Ritchie made that statement in a deposition to the Government’s Standing Committee on Transport on the Air Liberalization and the Canadian Airports System, holding hearings across the country. The IAMAW is Canada’s largest air transport union representing more than 15,000 workers in the industry.
The IAMAW is steadfastly opposed to any further negotiation of an ‘Open Skies’ agreement with the United States. Ritchie called Transport Minister Jean Lapierre’s guidance documents on air Liberalization disturbing. “It is thin and glib,” said Ritchie. “It provides no data and no basis for analysis.”
“There’s no analysis of the impact of deregulation to date, nothing of the potential impacts of the various regulatory changes proposed and fails to consider how endorsing such an idea could leave Canada dangerously exposed in a world of concentrated monopolies.”
The Machinists urged the Committee to consider alternatives to simple-minded liberalization initiatives. “Thoughtless action could leave us without significant Canadian carriers with a commitment to serve Canadian communities,” said Ritchie. He added, “major routes would be dominated by larger foreign carriers with no interest in any but our largest markets-leaving smaller centres with high cost, or without network service altogether.”
On the aspect of increased foreign ownership the Machinists were also adamantly opposed. “We’re very concerned that without ownership restrictions, carriers could fly ‘flags of convenience’, registering where safety and other standards are slack. This has a direct impact on Canadian jobs.”
The Machinists also urged the Committee to review the operations of Airport Authority’s across the country. “The current structure is an invitation to empire building, self-dealing, and environmentally or economically destructive policies,” said Ritchie.
