Lisée accuses Couillard of having “chosen to Air Canada”

Marc-André Gagnon

Monday, 5 February 2018 16:41

UPDATE
Monday, February 5, 2018 16:55

Look at this article

Jean-François Lisée is accusing Philippe Couillard of having “chosen by Air Canada to the detriment of small carriers and those who wish to put an end to the” scandal of the price much too high ” regional air connectivity.

Mr. Lisée suspect also a former political advisor to Jean Charest and other lobbyists for the company to have convinced the government Couillard to avoid their harm, last Friday, at the Summit on the regional air transport.

“They have succeeded! Is it that it is legal what they have done? Yes. Is it that they have a right to do so? Yes. They have won”, said Mr. Lisée in arriving at the caucus of the return of the Parti québécois.

Copies of entries in the register of lobbyists in hand, Mr. Lisée pointed to two names : David Rheault, who before finding himself on the direction of government affairs, Air Canada, has advised the prime minister Charest (2005-06), and the CEO of Air Canada, Calin Rovinescu.

Twenty-four hours of the resumption of hostilities parliamentarians, Mr. Lisée has launched first question for Mr. Couillard. “He (the CEO of Air Canada), it does not meet the officials, then I would like to know, has asked Mr. Lisée : is that Mr. Couillard met with Mr. Rovinescu, and how many times. “

Legislate a price floor

The Parti québécois is not the only one to be yelling against Air Canada. At the Summit on the regional air transport, the mayor of Québec, Régis Labeaume, has called to “break the monopoly of Air Canada”, “people who abuse completely from the system,” said the chief magistrate.

Rather than promising rate decreases regional air connectivity, with measures which will not be encrypted in the next budget, as did Philippe Couillard at the closing ceremony of the summit, the official opposition proposes to legislate a price floor that would prevent Air Canada to lower its prices to scare off the competition.

The spokesman of the parti québecois in the field of transport Martin Ouellet, accused Mr. Couillard of having “shoveled” the “concrete” in the establishment of a working group.

In a press conference at the end of its caucus back to school, Jean-François Lisée has said repeatedly that he did not see how the government could reduce taxes without reducing services to the State. To the contrary, “it is clear that you don’t want to raise the tax burden of Quebecers”, said the head of the parti québecois.