Tory leadership hopeful Maxime Bernier wants to shake up airline industry

OTTAWA — Conservative leadership hopeful Maxime Bernier is promising to bring his free-market ways to Canada’s airports and airlines if he becomes prime minister.
The Quebec MP, who has made privatization and deregulation a central theme in his campaign to take over as Tory leader, says Canadian air travellers pay too much and a major shake-up of the industry is required.
Bernier says he would encourage more budget carriers by lifting foreign ownership restrictions on airlines that fly within Canada. International carriers, such as Air Canada and WestJet, would remain majority owned in Canada.
He also wants to privatize Canada’s 26 major airports, which have been governed as not-for-profits since the 1990s — a period that has resulted in airports paying the federal government about $5 billion in rent, which he says increases costs for travellers.
The previous Conservative government also promised to ease foreign ownership restrictions on Canadian airlines, but never did — Bernier says he doesn’t know why that action was never taken.
Bernier would also allow jets to fly in and out of Toronto’s Billy Bishop island airport, and would seek to open Canadian airspace to more flights from foreign carriers.

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