The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that a bill of rights for Canadian travellers would prevent problems such as those experienced by Air Transat passengers forced to withstand uncomfortably warm conditions on a flight stuck on an Ottawa runway for six hours this week, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transport said Wednesday. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe quotes Karen McCrimmon as saying that the legislation -- Bill C-49 -- could become a reality in 2018, and would give consumers a legitimate way to hold airlines accountable in cases of mistreatment. "We're giving the consumer more teeth," she told Canadian Press. "It makes it in the airline's best interest for this not to happen." The importance of the bill was highlighted after an Air Transat flight from Brussels that was meant to land in Montreal diverted to Ottawa on Monday because of bad weather. A passenger said the plane was grounded for six hours and the cabin grew very hot, with some people having trouble breathing. At one point, a passenger called 911, after which bottles of water were handed out. The Canadian Transportation Agency has ordered Air Transat to explain the circumstances of the incident.