Northern B.C. MP pushing for stronger air passenger rights

Oct 11, 2023 | 3:04 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — With the summer travel season in the rear view mirror, now the winter travel season is upon us, and many travellers will take to the air, and one local MP is challenging the federal government to do better when it comes to air passenger rights.

Air travel is a necessity for many, whether needing to go somewhere for work or for appointments. No matter the reason, many passengers remember the chaotic travel season of last winter. Even with less chaos in the skies and at airports since then, Taylor Bachrach, NDP MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley is pushing the feds to do more for air passenger rights. Bachrach tabled a petition on behalf of 4000 Canadians in Parliament last week.

“I’ve worked really closely over the past year with air passenger rights advocates to craft a private member’s bill that would bring Canada’s system for air passenger rights up to the standards set by the European Union and I tabled that bill in the House, and the Liberal government put forward their own revision to air passenger rights, which frankly doesn’t measure up. This petition was aimed at putting pressure on the government to bring forward legislation that reflected the contents of my private member’s bill. It was signed by over 4000 Canadians, and now it’s tabled in the House, and the government has to provide an official response.” – Taylor Bachrach, MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley (NDP)

The federal government passed legislation in June to toughen penalties on airlines, shore up the complaint process and target disruption loopholes that have allowed airlines to avoid traveller compensation. At the time, experts cautioned that the legislation was too broad, and Bachrach says that many of the problems have not been fixed.

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Fixes are what seem to be needed right now. New numbers from Transport Canada shows that for 2022 alone, nearly half of all flight delays were deemed the responsibility of an airline. So that’s 87,500 delays that were within an airline’s control and were not due to a safety issue. When it comes to more robust solutions, there may be more turbulence ahead.

“We’re seeing a really troubling pushback by the airlines. They don’t want stronger air passenger rights in Canada because it costs them money. And so they’re pushing back in all kinds of ways. They’re actually going to the Supreme Court to challenge the federal government’s inadequate system of air passenger rights. They want it to be even weaker than it already is.” – Taylor Bachrach, MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley (NDP)

In total, there were over 198,000 flights delayed in Canada in 2022 and passenger complaints are backlogged at 57,000. Changes being proposed by the feds aren’t expected to come into effect until 2024. The next steps going forward will be determined by two players, Parliament and the airlines.

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Twitter: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com

by Adam Berls

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Northern B.C. MP pushing for stronger air passenger rights

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