Selling off airports won’t fly with families: NDP

Rural service will decline, fees will rise if Conservative fire sale goes ahead

OTTAWA – The government’s plan to sell Transport Canada assets and privatize airports across the country will make rural towns less accessible and hurt families’ pocketbooks, according to Official Opposition critic for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Olivia Chow.

Chow explained that smaller communities rely on having transportation options available to connect them—and their economies—to the rest of Canada. New Democrats are concerned that selling off the airports they rely on will make these communities more isolated.

“The level of ground services in parts of the country has already declined dramatically, after the privatization of CN Railways and the reduction in Greyhound bus connections,” said Chow. “To make things worse, Transport Canada is now putting the axe to rural air services through its plan to privatize airports.”

It’s not just smaller communities that would be affected, according to Chow. Airports like Toronto’s Pearson International are currently run by government appointed arm’s-length agencies. Privatization would make them less responsive to both travelers and their local community.

“This initiative will lead to passengers paying for skyrocketing airport fees. Under the guise of cost-cutting, the government is looking to cash in on vital infrastructure. That does nothing to help Canadian families,” Chow concluded.