Stop Airport Privatization
Canada’s airports are critical public infrastructure. They connect families and communities, support regional economies, move goods, and provide thousands of good jobs.
Workers and travelers are already squeezed by ever increasing fares and fees, staffing pressures and contract flipping.
Public ownership keeps airports accountable to the communities they serve, and to Canadians. Revenues are reinvested in infrastructure improvements and services. Public ownership keeps workers and travelers safe.
The federal government has started to make moves to sell-off ownership, and control, of our airports.
This would be a disaster.
Turning airports over to private, or even overseas, ownership puts profit ahead of the public interest. It will mean that fees and fares go up, while wages and labour standards can be driven down.
Private airports won’t fly. Here’s why-
Airports aren't just hubs for travel — they are essential to regional and provincial economies. They support a vast number of jobs in our communities and generate revenue and taxes that support public services.
As non-profit entities, airport revenues can be reinvested into infrastructure improvements that make travel safer, easier and better.
Airport privatization around the world leads to increasing costs and worse services as private investors siphon off profits instead of reinvesting in the airports.
Airport workers can lose good jobs, while reduced staffing and the loss of experienced workers can have consequences for both passenger service and airport safety.
Regional, and smaller communities could lose connectivity. Airport privatization could result in reduced or cancelled routes, making access to smaller communities increasingly difficult.
The profit motive favours the busiest and most profitable routes, potentially leaving rural, northern and smaller communities behind.
- Companies have one obligation, to maximize returns for owners and shareholders. They are not obligated to take any steps to benefit the public good. Privatization transfers control of important public assets to private investors.
- Canada’s supply chain is at a critical juncture amid the US trade war, there couldn’t be a worse time to surrender control. Our country needs to focus on economic security and sovereignty, handing control of critical transportation and supply-chain infrastructure to private investors makes little sense.
