About Us – National Airlines Council of Canada

Membership

The NACC is an association intended for all air carriers facing similar regulatory and policy issues. All large passenger air carriers are eligible for NACC membership, provided that they hold the certifications and licenses required in our by-laws.

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is composed of senior executives from each member airline.

Michael Rousseau

President and Chief Executive Officer, AIR CANADA

Arielle Meloul-Wechsler

Executive Vice-President, Chief Human Resources Officer and Public Affairs, AIR CANADA

Jean-François Lemay

President, AIR TRANSAT

Mario Lafrance

Vice-President; Technical Operations, AIR TRANSAT

Randolph DeGooyer

President, JAZZ AVIATION LP

Capt. Steven LInthwaite

Vice-President, Flight Operations, JAZZ AVIATION LP

Andrew Gibbons

Vice-President, Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, WESTJET

Our Team

Our team runs the day to day operations of the NACC.

Suzanne Acton-Gervais

Interim President and CEO

Suzanne brings over 35 years of aviation experience to the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC). Prior to joining NACC in July 2015, she held positions with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) where she liaised with international organizations, governments and industry stakeholders surrounding the globe to drive the development of global standards. She was also a frequent speaker at international industry conferences. Prior to this she worked for the Airports Council International (ACI World), served in the Canadian federal government and worked for a major Canadian airline. Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Education, with a specialization in Adult Education and graduated with distinction.

Francesca Iacurto

Senior Director, Public Affairs

Francesca brings over 25 years of experience in advocacy and related fields including policy development, communications and stakeholder relations to her role Senior Director, Public Affairs of the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC). Prior to joining NACC in March 2019, she held positions in four national business associations, a multinational financial services company, a federal Crown corporation, and a national consulting firm. She also served five years in the federal government early in her career. Throughout her career, she has helped organizations achieve their policy and legislative objectives in various economic sectors including energy and natural resources, financial services, environment, trade and transportation.

Janet Meldrum

Administrative Assistant

Janet Meldrum has been with the National Airlines Council of Canada since 2011. She provides financial, administrative and office communications assistance to the President and two Senior Directors.

She has over 30 years experience in various administrative roles with various federal departments such as Transport Canada Civil Aviation Medicine, Health Canada First Nations & Inuit Health Branch, Office of Nutrition Policy & Promotion, and Natural Resources Canada.

Our Committees

Many of the NACC’s activities are undertaken by our committees, representing the combined expertise of our member air carriers in the following fields:

Cabin Safety

Cabin Safety Committee

The Cabin Safety Committee promotes passenger and cabin crew safety, cabin crew training and safety equipment.

Mandate: To ensure a consistent and fair development and application of Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) and other applicable standards by working in partnership with other aviation stakeholders.

Dangerous Goods

Dangerous Goods Committee

(Information will be available soon.)

Mandate: (to follow soon)

Environment

Environment Committee

The Environment Committee focuses on the many activities undertaken by the industry to reduce environmental impacts, as well as on the development and implementation of environmental laws and regulations governing airlines.

Mandate: Foster a policy and regulatory framework that delivers sustainable environmental benefits, and advance the environmental stewardship of member airlines.

Flight Operations

Flight Operations Committee

The Flight Operations Committee works with the government and other stakeholders to promote effective regulations and practices with respect to airline operations.

Mandate: To bring forward the interests of airlines and to be effective in representing identified needs to the government in order for airlines to operate more efficiently and safely. This shall include all areas of responsibility of an Operations Manager and Chief Pilot of an airline.

Government Relations

Government Relations Committee

Our Government Relations Committee is composed of aviation industry experts from each member airline.

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

Occupational Health and Safety Committee

(Information will be available soon.)

Mandate: (to follow soon)

Safety

Safety Committee

Mandate: The mandate is to support the shared goal of maintaining the world-class safety standards of NACC member airlines. This includes working in the following areas:

Continuous improvement under the evolving Safety Management System (SMS) framework
Representing NACC to Transport Canada, other regulatory agencies and industry bodies on safety issues
Sharing of safety information, threats, hazards, mitigations and best practices to support both domestic and International aviation safety goals
Monitoring of national and international developments in the area of aviation safety
Working in close partnership with other NACC subcommittees and providing strategic guidance on safety matters
Liaising with various national and international government and industry stakeholders to advance, develop and promote industry best practices

Security and Facilitation

Security and Facilitation Committee

The Security and Facilitation Committee is concerned with aviation security policies and procedures. It engages with the relevant authorities on behalf of the members.

Mandate: To represent Canada’s major airlines on security and facilitation issues by developing clear, factual and consolidated positions on key issues.

Service and Accessibility

Service and Accessibility Committee

The Service and Accessibility Committee acts as a voice for the industry on rulings, policies, regulations and consultations that determine standards of service and accessibility for airlines.

Mandate: To ensure that member concerns and views with respect to rulings, guidance material and regulations are clearly communicated to relevant government and non-government stakeholders.