Safe and comfortable travel in Canada is of vital interest to the thousands of Canadians employed in the travel and tourism sectors, and travellers themselves have a vested interest in quality services.

While Private Members’ Bill C-310 proposes to establish a bill of rights to protect the interests of travellers in Canada, this bill is likely to result in higher fares, diminished service, and long-range damage to the Canadian economy.

The proposed bill would automatically require airlines to pay passengers when flights are delayed. The National Airlines Council of Canada, the International Air Transportation Association, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and several other groups representing the travel and airline industry note that airlines would have to increase their fares to recover these penalties. That means passengers could end up paying three times more than the current average one-way fare.

The threat of paying these penalties could prompt airlines to try harder to ensure flights arrive as scheduled, and could result in not doing some safety checks.

By penalizing Canada’s airlines for taking reasonable safety precautions, this unwise piece of legislation could create a significant financial incentive for airlines to negotiate perilous weather conditions. Unfortunately, Bill C-310 would force airlines to meet schedules to maximize profits, rather than cater to the safety of its customers. Saskatchewan would be one of the provinces hardest hit by this bill if it passes.

The World Economic Forum’s 2008 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Canada 122 out of 130 countries on the index of Ticket Taxes and Airport Charges. This means Canada is already the eighth most expensive jurisdiction in the world for airfare pricing.

If passed, Bill C-310 would decrease the competitiveness of airfares in Canada even further and serve as a disincentive for vital foreign tourists to visit Canada.

This proposed legislation might line the pockets of some passengers who are waylaid by unforeseen circumstances, but it will do little to protect consumer safety. It would jeopardize the financial health of airlines, the jobs of the over 40,000 Canadians that they employ, and the wide variety of air travel options consumers today enjoy.

Air travel is the engine behind many businesses and tourism in Canada. The federal government recognizes that a fair and reasonable framework will benefit both consumers and the industry as a whole. Many M.P.s may have the best of intentions when they bring forth new legislation, but in this case, the cure is worse than the disease.

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The audio version of Garry's July 20, 2009 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here