Transport committee  They were accepted for crews who have those on board.

Transport committee  In the limited time I have to respond, you're a very long-time traveller, sir, when you refer to flight attendants as stewardesses. We refer to them as flight attendants now. In terms of your reference to skates, half skates, I don't think doubling the risk is the appropriate way to go on that issue.

Transport committee  Not other than to thank the committee for my opportunity to appear today and express our views, sir. Thank you.

Transport committee  I honestly don't know the IATA international security perimeter that you're referring to, so I can't agree with that. In terms of ICAO rules and the other jurisdictions we looked at, I guess so; you're correct. But in terms of the 115-country security perimeter run by a private association of airlines....

Transport committee  If the committee could find its way to that recommendation, that would be very helpful to us, and we would thank you, sir.

Transport committee  I entirely agree with you. In terms of the chart, what we did was speak on February 4 with the officials who drafted the list, and we confirmed everything that is in the third column. Based on the prohibited items list issue, it has been relaxed.... The CATSA witness didn't say that the prohibited items list alone was relaxed; he spoke of security in general.

Transport committee  Back in 1995, when airlines ran pre-boarding screening there was a debate over what is a weapon. It was decided by Transport Canada and the United States that for the interest of looking for explosives and the interest of improving throughput through checkpoints, knives of less than four inches should be allowed.

Transport committee  That's from 1995 to 2011. I don't want to be part of a debate here saying you're being unrealistic, you're being outside international standards, and we heard CATSA say “we're looking for more important things than explosives”. I heard it from Transport Canada, and the same official who was there in 1995 is at ICAO, writing his ICAO rules.

Transport committee  We believe they are concerned, and we have invited our members to make their representations to Minister Strahl, objecting to this change. The world has changed profoundly since 9/11. You used to be able to take little kids to the cockpit, the door was a sliding partition, the world was very different.

Transport committee  I think people are getting progressively used to what's allowed on board, and these kinds of flip-flopping and inconsistencies only exacerbate.... We are entirely sympathetic with long lineups of passengers who have a very difficult time checking in, boarding their flight, and then they arrive at their aircraft, it's delayed and then they sit down and they're just aggravated and then we have to deal with that.

Transport committee  But it would be banned.

Transport committee  I disagree with this “for no purpose whatsoever”, because you are diluting your security standards. The threat risk assessment conducted by Transport Canada staff concluded, in this particular incident, that it is unacceptable to have tools of that length. They found the U.S. rule unacceptable, based on their transport risk assessment.

Transport committee  We're not suggesting that people be rescreened when they come from the U.S.

Transport committee  I think you're inventing a scenario that is designed to deflect from the issue we're raising. The Canadian standards are more strict. What you're saying is that because the U.S. or someone else dilutes it, we should therefore go to the diluted standard. We're suggesting that this erodes security.

Transport committee  I agree with your characterization of what I heard. The example I would raise is that Mr. Jean has indicated he's a long-time participant in these committees, and this committee has debated the ratio of flight attendants on board. There is a prevailing international standard of one flight attendant for 50 seats, and in Canada it is one flight attendant for 40 seats since 1971.