airline accessibility

Federal transport committee to look at airlines treatment of persons with disabilities

Dec 1, 2023 | 3:38 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — Canada’s federal transport committee has approved a motion from Skeena-Bulkley Valley NDP MP Taylor Bachrach to call the CEO’s of Air Canada and WestJet, the federal minister of transport and other government officials to testify to inaccessibility within the air sector. This comes after a flood of stories of persons with disabilities and mobility issues were subjected to unacceptable treatment.

“We’ve heard apologies, we’ve heard commitments to do better, but the government is in a position to ensure this never happens again by strengthening the regulations governing airlines and other parts of the air transport sector.” – Taylor Bachrach, MP, Skeena-Bulkley Valley (NDP)

Rodney Hodgins is from Prince George and cannot walk due to spastic cerebral palsy and was forced to drag himself off an Air Canada plane in Las Vegas in the summer after being told there were no supports to help him off. He says that the system is broken, full stop.

Despite some initial echoes of change and words of support, including from the federal Minister of Transport, Rodney’s wife Deanna says she is worried about the next time they will have to get on a plane. Rodney says that he doesn’t worry about it as much because it is a fact of life for him.

Bachrach wants the CEOs to explain to the committee, how any form of mistreatment is allowed to happen.

“When the CEOs of the major airlines show up, I want them to explain to Canadians how something like what’s occurred, I could possibly be allowed to happen, what the gaps in their procedures and policies are, that that allowed people to be mistreated in such an egregious way.” – Taylor Bachrach, MP, Skeena-Bulkley Valley (NDP)

No date has been set yet for when airline CEO’s could speak before the committee, but Rodney and Deanna hope that it’s soon, so that solutions to systemic problems can be implemented.

Twitter: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com