Poilievre urges ‘fair deal’ for Air Canada pilots ahead of possible strike

As Air Canada pilots gear up for a potential strike next week, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is urging the airline to offer a “fair deal” and negotiate in “good faith” with the unionized workers.

Either Air Canada or the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents 5,200 of the airline’s pilots, could issue a 72-hour lockout or strike notice if a settlement isn’t reached by Sunday.

This 72-hour notice period could start anytime after midnight on Sunday, potentially bringing operations to a standstill by Wednesday, September 18. Air Canada has announced that it will begin cancelling flights as early as this Friday if no agreement is reached.

“I would call on Air Canada to negotiate in good faith with the pilots,” Poilievre said during a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.

“We’re not going to support bypassing those negotiations. We stand with the pilots and their right to fight for a fair deal and better wages.”

Poilievre also criticized the former Liberal-NDP supply-and-confidence agreement, suggesting it has led to Canadian pilots earning less than their American counterparts.

“I don’t understand why Canadian pilots are paid significantly less than American pilots,” he said.

“After nine years of the NDP-Liberals, U.S. pilots are earning much more and paying fewer taxes, while Air Canada pilots are simply trying to recover from the effects of government-driven inflation,” Poilievre added.

Federal Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon expressed optimism on Tuesday, saying he remains “very hopeful” that negotiations will prevent a strike by Air Canada pilots.