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Bill of rights proposed for air passengers flying in Canada

The Government of Canada introduced legislation on Tuesday that would establish new bill of rights for people flying on airlines within, into or out of Canada

The new rights are part of a package of amendments to the Canada Transportation Act to provide a better experience for travellers and a fair, efficient and safer freight rail system to facilitate trade and economic growth.

Key measures of the proposed legislation include:

  • Allowing the Government to force airlines to establish standards of treatment and compensation for passengers. This could include establishing terms for the transportation of musical instruments; and prescribing compensation to passengers who voluntarily agree to give up their seats or lose or damage their baggage.
  • Increasing the cap on foreign ownership of airlines from 25% up to 49%;
  • 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.

“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,” said Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport. “When Canadians purchase an airline ticket, they expect the airline to provide the service that they paid for and to be treated with respect. When things don’t go the way they are planned, travellers deserve clear, transparent, fair and consistent compensation.”

The legislation will apply to airlines flying within, into or out of Canada.

You can read the proposed legislation in full here.

The bill has been proposed following a year where it appears airlines can’t stop making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

In April, United Airlines experienced a public relations nightmare after a video clip went viral of a doctor being physically dragged off one of their planes by security officers.

And just last week, Air Canada was ranked in a study as the worst airline in North America - even falling behind United Airlines.

That being said, it hasn’t all been bad news. Back in February, a Westjet pilot surprised hangry passengers with pizza after their flights were rerouted due to poor weather conditions.

However, regardless of the past incidents, people across Canada who rely on flying for transport will be hopeful the new legislation addresses their flight concerns.

As the bill was just introduced to the House of Commons, it will take some time before legislatures vote on whether to pass it into law.



Send your comments, news tips, typos, letter to the editor, photos and videos to [email protected].



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