A parliamentary committee will hear from federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra as part of his review of what has caused chaos in air and rail travel over the holiday season, but also from passengers who have suffered delays as well than air carriers.
The elected representatives of the Standing Committee on Transport of the House of Commons unanimously approved a motion to this effect on Monday during a meeting which had been convened urgently.
Representatives of Sunwing, WestJet and Air Canada are among those summoned. Officials from the rail carrier VIA Rail, as well as the Canadian Transportation Agency, are also on the list of witnesses.
Minister Alghabra had indicated beforehand, earlier on Monday, that he was ready to make himself available to respond to members of the Commons committee.
The elected officials who sit there have agreed to hold a next meeting on Thursday to begin their examination during a special meeting. They also agreed that their study would continue thereafter, but that it be integrated into the work already begun on the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, commonly known as the “travellers’ charter”.
Thousands of Canadians had their flights canceled or delayed due to bad weather, while hundreds more found themselves stranded in Mexico after carrier and tour operator Sunwing halted their return trips.
The company has since apologized and said the cancellations were due to winter storms that swept across the country ahead of Christmas Day.
Sunwing has also halted flights from Saskatchewan until early February due to “extenuating circumstances” — angering political leaders and passengers.
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