Senator Dagenais: Leader, the pandemic is over and people have started travelling again. Our plane tickets include airport fees for services that are grossly inadequate. Do you understand why I’m feeling skeptical today after hearing that the new president of the Montreal airport awarded a one-year contract to the former president to advise him on how to fix the problems he himself was unable to fix when he had the job? Is that a good use of the airport fees that are charged to travellers going through Montreal?

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. I hope that the efforts of the new president, including what you just mentioned, will have a positive impact on travellers and their experience. This is essential to the Montreal airport.

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Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: Leader, over and above what’s being reported in the media, I have seen the chaos at Montreal’s Trudeau airport with my own eyes twice in recent weeks. I am talking about unacceptable lineups requiring 60 to 90 minutes to get through customs, NEXUS devices that don’t work, and hours‑long wait times to collect luggage, assuming it hasn’t been lost altogether in transit. Then, once out of the terminal, passengers face horrible traffic jams to get in and out of what must be the country’s second-largest airport.

As is often the case with the current government, no one seems to be accountable. More recently, poor service levels are being blamed on asylum seekers arriving in huge numbers by plane, rather than through Roxham Road, which has been closed. Nobody anticipated that. Is there anyone in your government who understands the urgency of the situation and who is willing to take responsibility for getting Montreal’s airport running smoothly again as quickly as possible? Right now it looks more like an airport in a Third World country.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Senator Dagenais, the government is aware of the challenges facing Canada’s airports and Montreal’s Trudeau Airport. For the first time in Canadian history, the government has implemented regulations to protect passengers and guarantee their rights, including compensation for flight delays and disruptions. The new Minister of Transport, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, is seized with the challenges here in Canada and elsewhere in the world. He is well aware of the challenges facing Montreal airport. I am certain he will pull out all the stops to ensure that things improve.