Ottawa Orders Air Canada Striking Flight Attendants Back to Work Amid Mass Disruption
Canada’s federal government has stepped into the escalating labor dispute at Air Canada, directing more than 10,000 striking flight attendants to return to their posts as nationwide air travel grinds to a halt.
Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu announced Saturday that she instructed the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to order the airline and its unionized staff to resume operations, citing the urgent need to safeguard both the economy and Canadians stranded by the work stoppage.
“The impact of the work stoppage at Air Canada that began early this morning is already being felt by travelers. This is causing significant harm and has negative impacts on Canadians and the Canadian economy.”
Hajdu added that the cancellations led to thousands of Canadians being stranded and pharmaceuticals left with no means of transport.
The walkout began around 1 a.m. ET Saturday, after flight attendants—represented by the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)—voted 99.7% in favor of strike action. Their demands include higher wages and compensation for duties performed when aircraft are grounded.
By late morning, the strike’s impact was stark: aviation data firm Cirium reported 662 canceled flights, including 342 within Canada and 320 international routes. Flight-tracking service FlightAware estimated that nearly nine in ten Air Canada flights, along with nearly all of its Rouge subsidiary’s departures, had been scrapped. The airline warned that as many as 130,000 customers could be affected each day the shutdown drags on.
Air Canada suspended all operations shortly after the strike began. It is premature to comment, as the CIRB process is still underway,” the company said in a statement to CNN, urging passengers to confirm their bookings before heading to the airport.
Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, a seldom-used measure that allows the minister to direct an arbitrator to impose a settlement. The CIRB, which will oversee negotiations, is also expected to extend the terms of the existing collective agreement while the process unfolds.
Air Canada formally requested government intervention earlier in the week, according to CUPE. The union sharply criticized Ottawa’s move, with Wesley Lesosky, president of the CUPE’s Air Canada component, accusing the Liberals of undermining workers’ rights.
“Now, when we’re at the bargaining table with an obstinate employer, the Liberals are violating our Charter rights to take job action and give Air Canada exactly what they want – hours and hours of unpaid labour from underpaid flight attendants, while the company pulls in sky-high profits and extraordinary executive compensation.”
Hajdu rejected suggestions that the government was taking sides, insisting that the aim was to break the impasse and that this was not about being anti-union.
The airline has stated that its latest proposal would increase hourly pay by 12% to 16% in the first year, with total compensation rising by 38% over four years. Air Canada maintains that the package would make its flight attendants the best-paid in the country.
CUPE, however, argues that the figures mask systemic issues, such as unpaid hours on the ground, which significantly reduce attendants’ actual earnings.
The strike has left competitors scrambling to fill the void. WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, said it is deploying larger aircraft on busy routes and adding extra flights “where possible” to absorb displaced travelers.
Still, with Air Canada accounting for a dominant share of the domestic and transatlantic market, the disruptions are expected to linger even after operations restart. Hajdu noted it could take between five and ten days for regular schedules to resume once the strike ends.
The CIRB is now reviewing submissions from both Air Canada and CUPE. Hajdu said a ruling could come within 24 to 48 hours, but she cautioned against speculating.
For now, thousands of passengers remain stranded, airports across the country are in limbo, and one of Canada’s most vital industries hangs in the balance.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
