Bill C-20

RECOMMENDATION

Her Excellency the Governor General recommends to the House of Commons the appropriation of public revenue under the circumstances, in the manner and for the purposes set out in a measure entitled “An Act respecting airports, airport authorities and other airport operators and amending the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada Act”.

SUMMARY

This enactment establishes an economic framework for airports and the operators of significant airports in the national network of airports, with a focus on airport authorities. It provides for

(a) a declaration of a Canadian airport policy;

(b) an enunciation of certain powers, duties and functions of the Minister of Transport in respect of airports;

(c) a number of basic obligations of airport operators, including equitable access of air carriers to airport facilities, disclosure of operational and financial information and transparency in the establishment of fees;

(d) the continuation under this enactment of airport authorities as not-for-profit corporations without share capital;

(e) the powers and capacity of airport authorities and the scope of their activities, including investments in other corporations;

(f) a complete corporate governance and accountability framework for airport authorities that addresses matters such as the structure and duties of their board of directors, director eligibility, conflict of interest rules, enhanced disclosure of operational and financial information, and consultation with users and with the public in the region served by the airport;

(g) a framework for the fees imposed by the largest airport authorities, including a set of charging principles to be observed, a requirement for a transparent charging methodology and special conditions for the imposition of fees directly on passengers;

(h) a process to ensure the transparency of fees that are imposed by the largest airport authorities and the compliance of those fees with the framework, including requirements for public notice of a fee proposal and its justification, consultation with users and other stakeholders and with the public in the region served by the airport, consideration of representations received and an opportunity for users to appeal, in certain circumstances, new or increased fees to the Canadian Transportation Agency;

(i) certain obligations of airport authorities, including a requirement to have a land use plan and to report environmental incidents; and

(j) compliance and enforcement mechanisms based on proceedings either by way of summary conviction or by way of administrative monetary penalty, with an opportunity for persons subject to an administrative monetary penalty to appeal to the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada.