Canadian Transport Minister, the Honourable Marc Garneau, tabled legislation in the Canadian House of Commons today aimed at providing “a better experience for travellers and a transparent, fair, efficient and safer freight rail system to facilitate trade and economic growth.” 

“Canada is a vast country that relies on a complex transportation network to move its citizens and its goods. All Canadians benefit from a competitive and efficient transportation system.” said a release from the Government of Canada.

The establishment of some sort of passenger rights legislation was underway in Canada well before the recent spate of customer service issues experienced in the U.S., starting with a passenger being forcefully dragged from a United Airlines flight.

In a speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal on November 3, 2016, the Minister Garneau presented the Government of Canada's strategy for the future of transportation in Canada, entitled Transportation 2030, which was based on a review of the Canada Transportation Act that launched in June 2014.

“There were two…recurring themes in our discussions with travellers. The first is a sense of frustration at the cost of air travel within Canada – and the litany of fees and charges.” said Garneau in his Montreal speech. “And the second is confusion regarding a traveller’s rights and the extent to which consumers are protected when problems arise. We are taking action to address both concerns. In the months ahead, we will be introducing an Air Travellers Passenger Rights Regime – to ensure that Canadians’ rights are protected by rules that are both fair and clear.”

The proposed legislation tabled today, entitled the Transportation Modernization Act, received more than a year of consultation with citizens and stakeholders across the country and includes:

- establishing new air passenger rights;

- liberalizing international ownership restrictions for Canadian air carriers to provide travellers with more choice through increased competition;

- improving access, transparency, efficiency, and sustainable long-term investment in the freight rail sector; and

- increasing the safety of transportation in Canada by requiring railways to install voice and video recorders in locomotives.

"In a vast nation like Canada, Canadians rely on economically viable modes of transportation to travel and move commodities within the country, across the border, and to our ports for shipment overseas.” said the Honourable Marc Garneau, Canada’s Minister of Transport. “The time has come to modernize our policies and practices to provide a safer, more competitive and respectful system that can respond to modern conditions and to Canadians' expectations.”

“When Canadians purchase an airline ticket, they expect the airline to provide the service that they paid for and to be treated with respect.” he continued. “When things don't go the way they are planned, travellers deserve clear, transparent, fair and consistent compensation."

For more information, visit the Government of Canada's Transportation 2030 web page.

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