Transport committee tackles Air Canada woes Last Updated Thu, 03 Apr 2003 13:06:45 OTTAWA - The Commons transport committee had harsh words Thursday for the federal government and Air Canada over the airline's financial difficulties. The airline requested bankruptcy protection this week in order to keep flying. Transport Minister David Collenette told the committee that Air Canada will emerge from bankruptcy protection as a stronger airline. He said Air Canada is simply experiencing the same problems as other major airlines, including United Airlines, USAir and KLM. "Obviously ... Canada is not alone in the difficulties that the global air industry is experiencing," Collenette said Ontario Liberal MP Joe Fontana said he can't believe Air Canada ran short of cash when it controls two-thirds of the domestic market. "You've got to be either a bad CEO or just a poor operator," he said. B.C. Alliance MP James Moore said the government can solve the airline's problems by raising Air Canada's foreign ownership limit from to 49 per cent from 25 per cent. Collenette rejected that idea, saying other countries, including the U.S., have limits on foreign ownership of their carriers. Before it emerges from bankruptcy protection in three to six months, Air Canada will have to make huge cost reductions. It has already announced that at least 3,600 employees will lose their jobs in the restructuring. Written by CBC News Online staff *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week:http://www.ttsailing.org/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************