Message from the Minister

Here is a response from the Minister: Hello Kelli, Thank you for reaching out to me about this incident. I am very sorry to hear that you lost your grandmother to a drunk driver – that is a terrible tragedy, and I can certainly understand why this issue is so important to you. I wanted to let you know that my colleague, Transport Minister Marc Garneau, is similarly concerned with the incident in Calgary that happened on December 31, 2016. He has now sent a letter (which you can read online here: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/opssvs/letter-commercial-air-carriers.html) to every single commercial air carrier in Canada, requiring them to report back to his department about the status of their protocols to keep passengers safe. This includes the obligation of every carrier to have processes in place to make sure all flight crew members, on every flight, are fit to fly. The carriers must already have these protocols in place, but in light of the incident in Calgary, he’s asked that they all re-confirm what those processes are before February 15, 2017. You’ll also see in the letter that Transport Canada is going to investigate more steps to enhance aviation safety. I will pass along your suggestion for the use of breathalyzers before crew members can fly.