OTTAWA – Air Canada flight attendants remain on strike despite back-to-work orders by the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
Over the weekend, the federal government asked the board to send the two sides to binding arbitration and order an end to the job action. But the union is challenging the order in Federal Court, and the 10,000 workers have stayed on strike.
This morning the labour board declared the strike unlawful and ordered the union’s leadership to tell the flight attendants to go back to work.
Here’s the latest. All times ET.
At Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport, passengers are still showing up, hoping arriving in person might get them a better chance at securing a flight. A dozen or so could be seen asking for help at check in, some visibly upset.
The scene is less chaotic than this weekend, when crowds swarmed staff in the hope of finding alternative flights. Fewer workers also appear to be on the picket line than on Saturday, the first day of the strike.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he’s disappointed Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants weren’t able to reach a deal after eight months of negotiations.
He tells reporters on Parliament Hill he is urging both sides to quickly resolve the situation.
Air Canada says the Canada Industrial Relations Board has declared the strike unlawful and has ordered the union’s leadership to direct its members to return to work.
The order came as picketers continued to march around the Terminal 1 departure doors at Toronto Pearson International Airport early Monday morning.
Chants reverberated through the sliding doors and into the airport terminal, where passengers approached Air Canada employees to ask about alternatives to their cancelled flights.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025.
