ACTA meets with CTA Review Panel to discuss details of ACTA submission

In the January 8, 2015 issue of ACTAVision, ACTA advised the members of our submission to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) Review. The CTA had undertaken a statutory review as mandated by the Minister of Transport, the Hon. Lisa Raitt, with the Review being led by the Hon David Emerson. The due date for submissions was December 30, 2014. In November, ACTA reached out to several members across the country requesting feedback on matters relevant to the roles and responsibilities of the CTA. This consultation was compiled into the attached document and was submitted in time for the deadline.

Yesterday, Heather Craig-Peddie, Vice President of ACTA, accompanied by Peter Keyter from The Travel Lady Agency in Alberta and Brenda Kyllo, CAA National, Vice President, Travel in Ottawa met with members of the CTA Review Panel. It was noted that the CTA Review Panel was eager to meet with ACTA, a national association with representation from coast to coast and in every town and city across the country. ACTA brings to the table a unique voice of not just the travel agency perspective but that of the consumer. It was evident from the questions raised that the Panel was acutely aware of the concerns identified in our submission. There were a number of points made in our submission that garnered their interest and curiosity especially in the area of passenger rights and foreign ownership. Overall, we found the meeting to be very informative and constructive.

Approximately 200 submissions were filed with the CTA Review Panel. The Panel is expected to wrap up select meetings within the next 6 weeks and by the end of the year, a final report will be presented to the Minister of Transport. We will continue to keep our members informed on activity with respect to the CTA Review and solicit your feedback should additional information be required.

“ACTA was pleased to get a call early in the review process from the CTA Review Panel to discuss our submission. It took a while to finally coordinate our calendars but in the end it was worth the wait”, stated Heather Craig-Peddie, VP for ACTA. “It was encouraging to hear that from the approximate 200 submissions received, ACTA’s paper stood out and was well-argued. They respected the fact that the association is representative of agencies and ultimately consumers from towns and cities all across the country. This is exactly the reason of why all agencies should belong, to express their concerns and ensure that their association is advocating on your behalf,” concluded Craig-Peddie.