NDP candidate Brian Masse aims to permanently protect air traffic control services

From left to right: Craig Borkowski (corporate pilot) Patrick Li (Flight instructor) Ryan Lee (flight instructor) Dante Albano (Flight instructor) Windsor West NDP candidate Brian masse at announcement in Windsor, Ont. on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Alana Hadadean/CTV Windsor)

Windsor, Ont. -

Windsor West NDP candidate Brian Masse plans to protect the flight control tower at the Windsor International Airport by ensuring a private members bill will become law. 

Masse announced his plans Friday saying he will fight for the bill that would provide the Transports Minister with the power to remove airports from Nav Canada studies that would eliminate air traffic control towers to become law when parliament returns.

“I am here today again to renounce commitment as my first piece of legislation, part of an NDP government and part of an NDP minority parliament,” Masse said. “We will focus on making sure that the legislative fix was there because until you get that legislative fix being given the minister power to actually stop the studies NAV Canada after this election will most likely I’ll go back to another study and sending it into another world of chaos.”

It was announced last November that Windsor’s airport would be included in a study that would remove the air traffic control towers of seven airports across the country. When asked to remove the airports from the study, then Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he did not have the authority to so.

Masse introduced the private members bill C-278 which would offer the minister authority to protect air traffic control services back in March. Nav Canada later announced they would be suspending the studies and continue with air traffic control services at all airport.

“This legislative change will allow the Transport Minister to take practical and decisive action to remove Windsor any other airports from any NAV Canada study, preventing the elimination of flight control services. Additionally, this rebalances the power between the government and Nav Canada appropriately since all infrastructure, such as airports, need to be governed in the public’s interest rather than a private company’s, said Masse.

Masse said the removal of air traffic control at Windsor’s Airport would eliminate commercial air travel and would create safety issues for cargo and private planes.

“This is unfinished business right now and it’s still going to be that way until we get a legislative solution,” he said.