Mr. Ray Skelly (Comox-Powell River):

Mr. Speaker, I rise on an important question of privilege. 1 refer to an answer given yesterday in the House by the hon. Minister of Trans-

October 24, 1979

port (Mr. Mazankowski) concerning the withdrawal of designated services by flight service centre and coastguard radio operators. The statements made by the minister in the House yesterday led members to believe that designated services were being provided when in fact they are not. Also his remarks led members of the House to believe that there had been no recorded incidents where flight safety had been compromised. This is certainly not the case.

To substantiate my second point first, in the last two days there have been more than 50 major breaches of air safety in western Canada. In fact, these were reported to the Ministry of Transport. I would suggest that some of the more serious ones are very reminiscent of the scenario which unfolded in places like Tenerife and Cranbrook where equipment was left on the runway, where instances of aircraft taking off in different directions on the same runway have occurred.

On the second point I would suggest the minister's statement that designated services are still being provided is not the case. In fact it has been reported widely that operators have withdrawn all services except guarding emergency frequencies.

I would ask the minister to withdraw his statements, conduct an immediate investigation and report to the House tomorrow on what he plans to do with this very serious situation.

Mr. Ray Skelly (Comox-Powell River):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Transport: it relates to the very dangerous and chaotic situation that exists in many of the nation's airports due to the withdrawal of service by the flight service radio operators.

Those services were withdrawn because of a number of recent directives from the Ministry of Transport. In all probability, if those directives were withdrawn the workers would resume service. In light of that, is the minister prepared to give this House his assurance that he will remove those directives and allow the bargaining process with Treasury Board to continue without interference?

Mr. Skelly:

In light of the fact that we have a number of incidents, can the minister tell us what he will do to ensure that flight safety is taking place at airports where the service has been withdrawn?

Mr. Skelly:

Mr. Speaker, the situation is not quite as I hear it from the Minister of Transport. What is actually occurring, and I would take one of a great many examples I received today, was a case where-

Mr. Ray Skelly (Comox-Powell River):

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board. It relates to the fact that there have been 97 air crashes in British Columbia in the last year, 54 deaths associated with those air crashes, 33 deaths in the last seven weeks, and three in my riding just the other day.

In view of the fact that the flight service centres, the only source of assistance to general aviation for 350 miles along the coast of British Columbia, are now shut in terms of general services because the Treasury Board will not meet with the representatives, I ask the President of the Treasury Board if he would give the House today his undertaking that he will have his department resume negotiations with the radio operators' union.