Labour experts say if Ottawa meets Air Canada’s call for government intervention in a contract dispute with its flight attendants’ union, it could further erode collective bargaining rights in future negotiations.
The airline has requested government-directed arbitration through Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, however Ottawa has not indicated whether it will intervene.
The move comes as roughly 10,000 flight attendants for Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge are poised to strike Saturday around 1 a.m., with the company also planning to lock them out if an eleventh-hour deal can’t be reached.
In a statement Thursday morning, federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu acknowledged Air Canada’s request, adding she has asked the union to respond to it while urging both sides to return to the bargaining table.
Brock University labour professor Larry Savage says Air Canada is using its lockout notice “as a pressure point on the prime minister,” as the Mark Carney-led Liberal government faces its first major work stoppage of federally regulated employees.
While Savage says there is “a long tradition” in Canada of government intervention in labour disputes, he calls the increasing reliance on minister-directed action “troublesome.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025.
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