A Liberal MP says Ottawa may have underestimated Canadians’ desire to travel when planning for a return to normal after most pandemic restrictions end.
Airlines and airports have grappled with an increase in customer numbers this summer, a situation compounded by staffing shortages affecting both carriers and federal agencies.
As a result, travelers faced numerous flight cancellations, baggage delays and long lines, especially at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Last month, due to a glitch, the ArriveCan app asked about 10,200 travelers to self-quarantine for 10 days when they didn’t have to.
Annie Koutrakis, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, told reporters in Calgary on Tuesday that planning for a return to normal has been insufficient.
“We anticipated. Yes, the planning has started. What we unfortunately underestimated was everyone’s desire to travel and the fact that everyone wanted to travel at the same time,” Ms Koutrakis said.
“The data shows us that we didn’t expect everyone to start traveling to the extent that they have. It’s not like we’re waiting and planning behind the scenes to be ready for it. It’s just that more could have been done,” she added.
Ms Koutrakis argued that this was the first time the government had gone through a pandemic like COVID-19 and there were lessons to be learned.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra was questioned about the delays before a House of Commons committee last week.
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman asked him if the federal government was responsible and Mr Alghabra replied that he blamed the situation on COVID-19. He pointed to labor shortages as the main contributor to the delays.
Ms Koutrakis argued that the data shows that abandoning the ArriveCan app would increase delays and bottlenecks and that removing the mask-wearing requirement would not reduce wait times.
Koutrakis announced nearly $2 million to help Calgary International Airport improve current and future flight schedules and connection times between flights, as well as establish corridors to allow for physical distancing.
There were no airline representatives during the announcement. But Bob Sartor, president and CEO of the Calgary Airports Authority, said carriers are having the same problems hiring enough staff.
“The reality is that they face to a greater extent the issues that we face at YYC and that is the need for additional staff. They’ve done what we’ve done as an airport and they’ve cut staff significantly during the pandemic,” Sartor said.