Bachrach calls out Minister for failing to hold airlines accountable

“The Minister’s claim that she’s standing up for passengers rings hollow given her government’s utter failure to take any action whatsoever,” said Bachrach. “People with disabilities cannot continue to live in fear of flying in Canada. The Minister needs to hold airlines accountable and change federal policy to ensure people with disabilities can travel safely and with dignity.”

OTTAWA –Today, NDP Transportation Critic Taylor Bachrach (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) rose in Parliament to call out Minister of Transportation Anita Anand for letting Canadian airlines get away with mistreating their passengers with disabilities.

Last week, the US Department of Transportation fined American Airlines $50 million for violating rules in place to protect airline passengers with disabilities after an investigation found that the carrier had damaged or delayed the return of thousands of passenger wheelchairs.

“The issue of airlines mistreating passengers with disabilities is not unique to the United States,” said Bachrach. “Here in Canada, passengers have been dropped on the floor, had their wheelchairs broken and lost, one even had to drag themselves off a plane by their arms. This government’s response? The Minister called a summit with plenty of nice words but zero action.”

In the wake of a wave of news reports last year about the mistreatment of passengers with disabilities by Canadian airlines, MP Bachrach brought forward a study at the Transport Committee to study the issue of accessible air transportation for persons with disabilities. Throughout the course of this study, the Committee heard from many disability advocates who expressed that the poor treatment of people with disabilities by Canadian airlines is systemic and extremely common. One witness said that the problems are so immense he “dread[s] entering Canadian airspace”.

“The Minister’s claim that she’s standing up for passengers rings hollow given her government’s utter failure to take any action whatsoever,” said Bachrach. “People with disabilities cannot continue to live in fear of flying in Canada. The Minister needs to hold airlines accountable and change federal policy to ensure people with disabilities can travel safely and with dignity.”