EDITORIAL: Transport minister has the blues
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Every time Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra talks about who’s chargeable for the continuing issues at Canada’s airports, he reminds us of John Belushi’s character, “Joliet” Jake Blues, within the 1980 comedy hit The Blues Brothers.
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More and more panicked as an armed “thriller girl” performed by Carrie Fisher angrily confronts him in a dank, underground passageway about why he dumped her on the altar, he turns into an increasing number of frantic:
“You realize I like you, child!” he says.
“I wouldn’t depart you! It wasn’t my fault! … Sincere, I ran out of fuel, I had a flat tire! I didn’t have the funds for for cab fare! My tux didn’t come again from the cleaners! An outdated pal got here in from out of city! Somebody stole my automotive! There was an earthquake, a horrible flood! Locusts! It wasn’t my fault, I swear to God!”
It ends nicely, a minimum of for Jake.
She finally buys his unbelievable excuses, drops the gun, Jake sweeps her into his arms for a kiss, then drops her to the bottom whereas he and his brother, Elwood Blues, performed by Dan Aykroyd, escape.
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When Alghabra was first requested about large delays at airports in Could, he stated out-of-practice air travellers have been accountable.
“Taking out the laptops, taking out the fluids — all that provides 10 seconds right here, 15 seconds there,” Alghabra advised reporters.
He added staffing points at The Canadian Air Transport Safety Authority (CATSA), a federal Crown company chargeable for safety screening of passengers, baggage and airport staff. contributed to delays, though he stated that wasn’t the primary cause as a result of CATSA’s workforce was at 90% of pre-pandemic ranges whereas journey quantity was under 70%.
However as The Canadian Press reported on the time:
“The top of the Canadian Airports Council disagrees, calling employees ranges the No. 1 impediment.”
Testifying earlier than the Commons transport committee three months afterward Friday, Alghabra blamed COVID-19 for delays and defended the federal government’s ArriveCan app as serving to to cut back wait occasions.
Final month, on account of a glitch, it advised 10,200 travellers to quarantine for 10 days once they didn’t have to take action.
Alghabra is definitely not solely chargeable for ongoing issues at our airports.
However at any time when he talks about them, he reminds us of Joliet Jake Blues.
