(Ottawa) A parliamentary committee is launching an investigation into accessibility in Canadian airlines, with a focus on the country’s two largest carriers.
Following a motion presented Monday by NDP MP Taylor Bachrach, the federal transport committee voted in favor of a study on the state of accessible transportation for Canadians living with disabilities, as well as on the system regulations surrounding it.
The committee cited recent reports of air travelers “facing discrimination and unacceptable treatment” on board, and invited the CEOs of Air Canada and WestJet to testify alongside the Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez, Auditor General Karen Hogan, and other industry experts and stakeholders.
The motion further calls on the government to table a response to a committee report that is expected to be presented to the House of Commons.
Earlier this month, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau apologized for the airline’s accessibility shortcomings and announced new measures aimed at improving the travel experience for hundreds of thousands of passengers with disabilities.
The move comes following a number of reports of passenger mistreatment, including an incident in August in which a man with spastic cerebral palsy was forced to drag himself off a plane. ‘Air Canada to Las Vegas due to lack of assistance.