OTTAWA – Stephanie Kusie, Conservative Shadow Minister for Transport, issued the following statement about the Liberal government’s failure to support aviation workers and their families throughout the pandemic:
“Justin Trudeau had an opportunity in his Throne Speech to lay out a plan for Canadian aviation workers who are worried about their health, their loved ones and their jobs, but he once again left these hard working Canadians behind. For months Canadians who work and depend on the aviation industry have been calling for a plan from the Liberal government to fight for their jobs and protect their health.
“Because of the Liberal government’s failure to prepare for the pandemic or to support workers through it, flight attendants and baggage handlers have been furloughed, pilots are struggling to get flight hours, passengers’ flights have been cancelled, air traffic controllers have been laid off, and service jobs in airports have become virtually non-existent.
“Unfortunately, the Trudeau government continues to leave the thousands of Canadians who rely on the aviation industry in the dark about how or if they will have jobs to return to. The Liberals are months behind our allies when it comes to the procurement and approval of rapid COVID-19 testing devices, and the Liberals’ proposed Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) remains broken and untenable for large businesses like airlines.
“To get our economy back up and running, Canadians who work in airports and for air carriers must have access to the equipment they need to safely fly people and goods across our country as well as abroad. Under the leadership of Erin O’Toole, Conservatives will hold the Trudeau government to account, and we will put forward a plan that keeps Canadians safe, protects jobs and gets our country back on track.”
