Federal Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra asked Transport Canada to investigate reports of “unacceptable” behavior on a recent Sunwing Airlines flight from Montreal to Cancun, Mexico.
Videos of the December 30 flight shared on social media appear to show passengers without masks as they gather in close proximity, singing and dancing in the aisle and on the seats.
In one video, a large bottle of vodka appears to pass between the passengers and then a woman appears to be smoking an e-cigarette on the plane.
The plane had reportedly been chartered and some of the passengers were members of the cast of Quebec reality television shows.
“I asked Transport Canada to investigate the matter,” Alghabra wrote in a post on Twitter. “We must take COVID risks seriously!”
Later on Tuesday, Alghabra, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino issued a joint statement saying the three ministers have ordered their departments to investigate.
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The statement said Transport Canada has contacted the airline and says passengers who violate department regulations could face fines of up to $ 5,000 per offense.
Rena Kisfalvi, president of the local Canadian Union of Public Employees representing some 1,000 Sunwing flight attendants, also called the behavior of the passengers “unacceptable” and expressed her sympathy for the Cancun flight crew.
The federal Minister of Transport @OmarAlghabra calls for an investigation into the flight of the #Sunwing party to Mexico. #CDNPoli # Covid19
“There is a point where if you lose control, sometimes you can’t get it back,” he said in a telephone interview.
Masking rule enforcement has been a “massive problem” over the past year that has “caused an enormous amount of aggressive behavior” from passengers towards cabin crews, he said.
“I’m not sure where Transport Canada is on this. Why haven’t you done more? Kisfalvi asked, around the same time Alghabra posted his post on Twitter.
“Will these non-compliant passengers be charged? Will they be denied boarding in the future? Will they be placed on a no-fly list? Maybe we as a government need to take that step to show the public. Traveler, we are serious here ‘”.
Sunwing said in an emailed statement that the behavior of the passengers on the private charter flight “was unruly and in violation of various Canadian aviation regulations as well as public health regulations.” He said his security department investigated and the company reported the incident to Transport Canada.
The airline said it provided the tour group leader with conditions to ensure the safety of passengers and crew on the flight back to Montreal, scheduled for Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, the group did not agree to all the terms. As a result of our ongoing investigation and the group’s refusal to accept all the terms of carriage, we have made the decision to cancel the return flight,” Sunwing’s statement said. “We apologize for any inconvenience to passengers.”
On Instagram, 111 Private Club took credit for the flight, describing the all-inclusive New Year’s trip to Mexico it hosted as the “best event of the year.” He posted a screenshot of a newspaper article about the flight with the caption “we made the news.”
James William Awad, who operates 111 Private Club, did not respond to a request for comment sent via Facebook. A message sent to the 111 Private Club account also received no response.
The Alghabra, Duclos and Mendicino statement noted that the Public Health Agency of Canada and its partners coordinate the processing of travelers returning to Canada, and that travelers suspected of non-compliance are referred to PHAC.
It stated that questionable or fraudulent documents will be withheld and warned that giving false information to a Canadian government official could result in fines of up to $ 750,000, six months in jail, or both.
If you endanger the lives of others and cause harm, the statement warns that a traveler could be subject to up to three years in prison and / or up to $ 1 million in fines.
“The Government of Canada continues to advise all Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada at this time,” the statement concluded.
“We continue to work closely with airlines, airports and our other transportation partners to safeguard the health of Canadians and the Canadian air transportation system.”
This Canadian Press report was first published on January 4, 2022.
This story was produced with financial assistance from Facebook and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com