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CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 137 Ï NUMBER 122 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 37th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Friday, November 30, 2001 Speaker: The Honourable Peter Milliken CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) All parliamentary publications are available on the ``Parliamentary Internet Parlementaire´´ at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca 7695 HOUSE OF COMMONS Friday, November 30, 2001 The House met at 10 a.m. south, to take other positive steps toward deterring and detecting terrorists. Prayers The particular amendment contained in C-44 addresses the provision of passenger and crew member data to our international partners in the interest of transportation security. I believe the GOVERNMENT ORDERS proposed amendment allows for the capture of just enough of the data held by Canadian carriers to provide for increased passenger Ï (1000) safety through the intelligent use of modern information technology. [English] [Translation] AERONAUTICS ACT On November 19, the day before we put Bill C-42 on the notice Hon. David Collenette (Minister of Transport, Lib.) moved that paper, the president of the United States signed into law a new act Bill C-44, an act to amend the Aeronautics Act, be read the second which requires, among other things, that advance passenger time and referred to a committee. information be provided in respect of all flights entering the United He said: Madam Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-44, amendments States. to the Aeronautics Act, concerning the provision of information to foreign states. This is another important step in the government's [English] fight against terrorism. I want to stress that the information the Americans have asked all Ï (1005) airlines to automatically provide is the same as that which is now [Translation] provided by individual passengers to U.S. customs officials when they land in the United States today. Before September 11, it was assumed that individuals who were planning to hijack a plane would bring traditional weapons with Indeed, the majority of Canadians entering the United States do so them. Since September 11, it is obvious that this is absolutely not the through U.S. pre-clearance facilities at major airports and so are case. already providing this information to American authorities prior to the departure of their flight from Canada. As members well know, last week I introduced Bill C-42, the Public Safety Act. This bill has been shaped by bringing forward The information to be automatically provided is quite basic: the amendments identified during normal reviews of several of the 19 name of the passenger, the gender, birthdate, citizenship, passport existing acts, including the Aeronautics Act. number and visa number if applicable with country of issuance. On a All the reviews dealt specifically with the prevention and response person by person basis, however, additional information could be provisions in a time of increased security concerns. requested. [English] As I said, the American legislation requiring this information was The basic objective of Bill C-44 is to ensure the Government of signed by Mr. Bush on November 19, the day before my colleague, Canada has the proper authority to establish and maintain an the government House leader, advised the House that we would be appropriate security program for the protection of Canadians. bringing forward an omnibus bill on public safety and the bill was put on the notice paper. In Bill C-44, which was created by removing a small section from Bill C-42, the government proposes to amend the Aeronautics Act. I MPs were briefed on Thursday, November 22, and the bill was want to thank the members of the opposition parties at this time for introduced at 10 a.m. that day. Since that time, we have been agreeing to extract the proposed amendment of section 4.83 to the informed by our friends in the United States that they have indicated Aeronautics Act with respect to the provision of information and a desire to implement the data provisions of their new act quickly. putting it in its own bill, standing in its own right so that we could Currently they will deal with the situation either by receiving the have early passage. I think that by doing this we will be able to information or by carrying out extensive hand screening of carry on enhance the ability of Canadian air carriers to work with their and checked baggage upon arrival of flights into the United States, international partners, in particular our American friends to the which we can appreciate would be very time consuming. 7696 COMMONS DEBATES November 30, 2001 Government Orders By advancing, as Bill C-44, this portion of our public safety act, be screened. In-flight crew were to be mandated new training to deal Bill C-42, which deals with provision of passenger information to with air rage or terrorist crisis management. Air marshals were to foreign states, we will be able to prepare regulations that will allow appear on U.S. airliners. A complex passenger profiling system was Canadian air carriers to provide approved information to approved to be enhanced. countries. In answer to a question from the hon. member for Roberval the Despite an anthrax attack on Capitol Hill which shut down other day in question period, I assure him that we would have congressional offices, consensus was quickly reached to prove that available draft regulations today for hon. members to look at because while America led an impressive fight against terrorism abroad the it is a very crucial issue. I regret the fact that I was in Vancouver until fight at home would be fought with even more strength. late last night and I only just signed off on them. They are now in the process of final preparation and we hope to give them to the House leader for distribution within the next hour or two. I hope hon. The bill moved through both houses of congress faster than a members will take that as a sign of good faith on the part of the rumour through the press corps. President Bush signed the bill into government that we want to work with all members to ensure that the law a mere eight weeks after its introduction. information that is to be provided is both appropriate and conforms with our privacy legislation and the expectations of Canadians that private information pertaining to them and members of their families In Canada the blur of activity was akin to the way tires spin during be only made available to other governments in the most extreme of the first winter snowstorm. There was a lot of noise and a touch of circumstances. Of course the circumstances surrounding the events smoke but little action. The government was about as agile and of September 11 are well known. surefooted as a newborn calf. Unlike the calf, however, the Prime The fact is that Canada is among a handful of countries that were Minister and transport minister are seasoned politicians with nearly legally impeded from making this information available. Therefore I 50 years of parliamentary experience between them. The lack of hope that Canadians do not think that somehow we are doing leadership would have been funny if it were not so dangerous and something that is inappropriate or out of the norm. The fact is that destructive to the air industry. we are really conforming to the practice of most nation states in making this information available. The Standing Committee on Transport and Government Opera- I should state as another principle, in case any people in the tions was promptly mandated to look into aviation security but the country feel that somehow the U.S. is extracting some kind of a government quickly put forward what it saw as more urgent matters. commitment or influence over our own decision making, that every The Civil Aviation Tribunal needed to be extended to cover country in the world has the right to know who is coming into its mariners. Air Canada's 15% share limit needed to be raised so people nation's borders and the Americans are no exception. However, who owned less than 10% of its shares could somehow be certainly since September 11, they are particularly sensitive about encouraged to buy more. The Warsaw convention of 1929 needed this and they certainly have the right to this information. By swift to be amended for the third millennium. All these were important passage of the bill, we will be able to comply with their own priorities but they were not priorities at all for the air industry or domestic legislation which really does not have a degree of Canadians. flexibility. Should we not pass this and have it proclaimed into law by early January, then our carriers would be subject to extensive delay, and no one wants that given the state of the airline industry. The standing committee was paying attention to the matter of No passengers want it and I certainly do not think the governments aviation security. I will not omit that. However while witnesses from of the United States and Canada want that. Air Canada, the pilots association and CUPE were advocating air marshals and other security measures the government was I hope members will send the bill to committee where there will desperately trying to be seen to be acting although it was in no be a thoughtful discussion. The government certainly remains very way sure what it wanted to achieve or how. flexible on dealing with all the various concerns that may be raised, especially those dealing with privacy.