Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier in the sitting, my honourable friend from Yellowknife North asked the Minister responsible for Infrastructure some questions surrounding security delays of the YZF Airport. At that time, the Minister identified that the Canadian Air Transportation Security Authority staffing was the biggest problem and the cause of these delays. A recent CBC article, on February 20th, had a response from CATSA on these delays, and they said that an additional security line was never part of the airport renovation plan that they submitted to the agency, and if the government wants additional screening lines, it needs to present a business case that would include staffing and those extra levels of resourcing. I would like to ask the Minister: has CATSA been engaged and been asked for the things that they are saying they were never asked for? Is their information correct? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The CATSA system, they set their own levels of service, Mr. Speaker. As I said in the House the other day, we are tracking the number of people who are going through the line-ups. I have said that the reduced wait time is down by 30 percent. We engage CATSA regularly, because we have to engage them on when we did the expansion for the space for them and put in the new CATSA Plus system, so those discussions are ongoing.
I am sure the Member is going to have a number of questions, but when we talk about CATSA Plus setting their own service levels, our understanding, based on the information that we have right now, the rating that we have is 1.2 lines for the CATSA Plus system. For us to get to two lines, there is going to have to be a significant more amount of traffic that has to take place for us to work with them to make a decision to install an extra line. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That is a bit more clear, that there is some policy behind it. Is that what CATSA is saying? Has the proposal been brought forward to the Crown corporation for an additional line? Because that is what the people want, and I don't know if the Minister has done it.
I am not sure if the Member is listening to what I am saying. I am saying CATSA Plus sets their own service levels. Right now, there is a 1.2 rating for the lines. To go to two lines, there is going to have to be a significant increase of traffic. As I said in the House the other day, we are monitoring the amount of traffic that is going there, the wait times. We are doing it manually. We are going to put in an automated system to be able to collect this data to be able to say, you know, CATSA, it clearly states that we need to have two lines in the Yellowknife Airport. Until we get that documentation, how can I just say I am going to put in an extra line and request for this information? It is no different than us answering questions on that side of the House. We have to have data, and I have to have data for CATSA Plus.
If the Minister doesn't have the data, then how does he know that security lines have been reduced by 30 percent? His officials are telling the City of Yellowknife it is going to be 60 percent. He is telling this House it is 30 percent, and now he is telling this House he doesn't have the numbers to justify additional expansions of security time. How is the Minister getting his information?
As I said, clearly the Member is not listening to what I am saying. We are collecting data out there. Our data has clearly told us that the reduction of wait times is down by 30 percent. We are doing it manually. We have a person sitting there collecting that data. We will get this information more clearly when we put in an automated system. We are at 1.2 lines right now. There have to be two lines to have more significant more traffic at the Yellowknife Airport for them to make a decision to install two lines.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am listening to the Minister. I don't know if he is listening to my questions. He is providing some answers, but I'd like to know if he can produce this information. Will he table the numbers he has so far so the public can clearly understand exactly what the issues are and why we can't get this enhanced system that, again, people are asking for? Thank you.
I don't have a problem tabling any of this information. Clearly the Member is playing on words, here. We are doing our due diligence to try to improve the system. We are working with CATSA Plus. I want to get even more information out there for the general public, and I want them to know this. When we work with CATSA's system, we have to supply the space for free. We have to supply the electricity for free. We have to supply the heat for free. It's not like this is just some ad hoc thing we're doing. We are trying to improve times at the airport for the general public.
As I said, there is a lot of pressure on the system. I said yesterday in the House that we are working with CATSA Plus. There is definitely a deficiency around the number of people who are employed out there. We work with them closely. I mentioned the type of signage and stuff, and that we have worked with CATSA Plus to improve wait times and try to get people through the line-ups faster. Some of these people who are travelling through our airport are definitely not savvy travellers. They're not on an airplane every week, like some people are, and we are working with them closely to improve these things. It's not just something where I can snap my fingers and ask the federal government and put another line in. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
