REPORT from OTTAWA Rapport

d’Ottawa

by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

Theholidayseasonstartedwithquitethe bangformanytravelerswhowerehopingtohead offonagetawayorjoinlovedonesforChristmas, as a combination of flash freezes, heavy snow and significant wind gusts blanketed much of Canada. Extreme weather is certainly nothing new to Canadians, and it did play a significant roleingroundingflights,stoppingtrains,leaving hundreds of Canadians stranded, and making travel exceptionally difficult. However, the industry's lack of clear communication to customers, including unannounced cancellations, lack of service, missing or lost baggage, and other substantial issues, compounded an already stressful situation and madethingsmuchworse.

Now that the snow-covered dust has settled, it appears the Federal government may not have learned any lessons from the travel disruptions that plagued airports since early summerandwhattheirresponsibilitiesarewhen it comes to issues involving delays, levels of serviceanddisputes.

The stories of travel disruptions range frominconvenienttoborderlinenegligent.Many ofushavenodoubtheardofthepackedVIARail train from Ottawa to Toronto that was stuck on thetracksformorethan18hoursbeforeleaving. There were also stories upon stories of passengerssittinginplanesthatwerestuckonthe

En raison de la baisse rapide de la température, de fortes chutes de neige et de rafalesimportantesdanslaplupartdesrégionsdu Canada, la période des Fêtes a débuté en catastrophe pour de nombreux voyageurs qui voulaient partir en vacances ou aller rejoindre leurs proches pour Noël. Les Canadiens sont habitués aux conditions météorologiques extrêmes, et ces conditions ont joué un rôle importantdansl'annulationdesvolsetl'arrêtdes trains, qui ont laissé des centaines de Canadiens coincés et rendu les déplacements exceptionnellement difficiles. Par contre, les mauvaises communications aux clients de l'industrie, en plus des annulations non annoncées, du manque de service, des bagages manquants ou perdus et d'autres problèmes sérieux, ont aggravé une situation qui était déjà stressanteetempiréleschoses.

Maintenant que la poudrerie est