For immediate release                                                     October 19, 2000

Minister Collenette deceives Canadians in Government’s response to the Auditor General on airport privatization

Ottawa - "In the wake of Auditor General Denis Desautels' audit of the privatization of Canadian Airports, Transport Minister David Collenette has dismissed financial waste of taxpayer dollars at Canadian Airports in the same arrogant way that he has routinely dismissed passenger safety issues that airport privatization has raised", says Mike Wing, President of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE-PSAC).

Collenette has suggested that Desautels did not address safety concerns, a sure sign that the security of Canadians has not been imperiled by the transfers. "This is simply not the case," said Wing. "The Auditor General’s Office has told UCTE that safety was not a part of the audit. As a result, I am calling on the Minister to set the record straight, and on the Auditor General to expand his audit to include safety issues that have arisen since the airport privatization started."

The union has expressed alarm to the Minister and his government on many occasions since the privatization initiative began. "We have been, and remain particularly concerned with the reduction of on-site rescue and fire fighting capabilities, with the exception of Pearson Airport, since the implementation of privatization. Despite the risks to the traveling public, Collenette continues to ignore the crisis that his government’s policy has created. To suggest that Canadian airports are as safe as they were prior to the National Airports Policy is simply untrue."

Despite the Minister’s assurances that the system is working to the benefit of Canadians, the Auditor General identified a complete lack of financial accountability since the implementation of the National Airports Policy in 1994, a policy that saw airports transferred to Local Airport Authorities.

Moreover, the Local Airport Authorities have established a range of subsidiary companies whose dealings could well have a direct impact on the future financial viability of air transportation in Canada. In fact, Desautels expressed deep concern that these subsidiary companies have no accountability to the Canadian public.

According to Wing, "the federal government was in such a rush to implement the privatization of airports that it has created a patchwork out of what should be a solid, cohesive network for air transport, that assures the same safety to people travelling from large and small airports across Canada. "To use the same words which Denis Desautels used, the process is not ‘equitable, uniform or consistent’," explains Wing.

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Spokesperson:

Mike Wing, National President UCTE,  (613) 238-4003, ext. 31

For more information, call:

Pierre Lebel, Communications Officer PSAC, (613) 560-5482

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