Flight & Duty Time

Well, the House rose on June 22, and Members of Parliament returned to their Ridings. The pressure has been rising on Minister Garneau – pressure from his colleagues inside the Liberal Party; and pressure from the Opposition. Other like-minded aviation associations from across the country and their members have lent their voices to ours. Your elected Federal representatives are now back at home. Please, let’s keep the pressure on. Take the opportunity to meet with them directly in their constituency offices – or at least give them a call to discuss this issue. We know that the Parties have already started their campaigning for next year’s Federal election, and there is a heightened sensitivity to the views of their constituents. The Prime Minister’s office is alive to this issue, and its potential effect on the outcome of next year’s election outcome. Please make your views known to the PMO, as well. The proposed new regulations have yet to be approved by Treasury Board. Treasury Board is group of Ministers that ensure (among other things) that proposed new regulations have been properly consulted, and that they will likely achieve the desired result in an efficient manner. I tell my kids, “Everyone has a boss,” and even the will of Ministers is subordinate to the Treasury Board, and to the greater good of the Party. A number of members have contacted HAC to determine “What is our ask?” We don’t want to be the proverbial “dog that caught the car,” one member, said. In an article, below we have identified some of the most offensive provisions of the regulations, and some of the things that we have been asking for, now – for years. It’s not enough to complain that that proposed new regulations are bad. HAC and others have made multiple, specific proposals in the run-up to the publication of these draft regulations in Canada Gazette I. The list of problems with the draft regulations is lengthy, and they cannot be resolved with “a short amendment or two,” but if you need to give some examples of solutions that have been proposed by HAC and others – but ignored by Transport Canada - the article below may be helpful. If you need additional support, please contact HAC at fred.jones@h-a-c.ca. Ultimately, HAC believes that Minister Garneau needs to revisit the regulations, and consult in a more meaningful way with the commercial aviation community on an industry-segment-by-industry-segment basis to find regulations that are more suited to the commercial helicopter community.