Concerns are mounting nationwide about the potential fallout of halted air service, especially its impact on Indigenous tourism, as Air Canada flight attendants are set to officially strike in less than 24 hours.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing 10,000 Air Canada and Rouge flight attendants, has outlined deep frustrations with the airline over the failure to agree on key protections for workers and to pay them for their whole time on the job. The union also says Air Canada is refusing to match industry standards, inflation or federal minimum wage, resulting in food banks reportedly being set up at union offices for junior members who cannot afford groceries.
“Our members need and deserve a fair wage increase that makes everyone whole for the skyrocketing cost of living, and one that lifts our junior flight attendants out of poverty,” Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE, said in a statement Wednesday.
Negotiation talks have dated back to December 2024, and on Wednesday CUPE issued a 72-hour strike notice and in response Air Canada issued a lockout notice to its flight attendants. The union says if an agreement isn’t reached, their members will go on strike as of Saturday at 1 a.m.
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Air Canada responded in defense of its offer made to the union in an online statement on Thursday, highlighting that the proposal included a 38-per cent increase in total compensation over four years, and stated that hourly rates would go as high as $94 an hour in the first year. The company said its offer included “meaningful quality of life improvements, including an increase to paid vacation, and measures to address union concerns about rest and work-life balance,” and called it a deal that “will make Air Canada Flight Attendants the best compensated in Canada.”
@nowtoronto Air Canada executives say the union representing flight attendants is wasting time during negotiations ahead of a potential strike this Saturday. Will you be impacted if there's a strike? ✈️ #AirCanada #AirCanadaStrike #CUPE ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
Meanwhile, in anticipation of the potential strike, the airline is set to cancel more than 500 flights by the end of Friday.
INDIGENOUS TOURISM WORRIED ABOUT IMPACTS
While the labour battle continues, broader industries that rely on Air Canada are sounding the alarm. Keith Henry, the president and CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, warned of the strike’s potential to seriously disrupt Indigenous tourism operators during their most important season.
“There’s about 2,700 businesses in the country and these summer months are critical for our businesses to survive through the rest of the year,” Henry explained to Now Toronto on Friday.
“We’re very, very worried about any long-term and sustained strike action… a complete cessation of operations is going to have a very detrimental impact.”
From Wendake near Quebec City to the Dakota Dunes just outside of Saskatoon, Henry emphasized that experiences within Indigenous tourism cannot function without air service to remote destinations, many of which are only accessible via Air Canada routes.
“You go to Yellowknife, there’s Aurora viewing at certain times of the year. There’s people that go up there for fishing, and Air Canada is one of the main supply carriers.”
Henry also pointed to the importance of air access in Eastern Canada.
“Air Canada is the priority carrier in Atlantic Canada for domestic visitation from Quebec and Ontario. There’s a lot of businesses there. And so when we think about the impacts of this, and we realize what the downstream conscious consequences could be, we’re greatly concerned.”
According to the airline, about 130,000 travellers a day could be impacted during the strike.
Travellers impacted by cancellations have been advised that they’ll receive a text message and email advising them of their cancellation. They will then be offered a complete refund or the option of potentially being booked on another airline to complete their trip.
