Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says that while his party advocates for the rule of law, he supports Air Canada workers receiving fair compensation and argued the Liberal government should have backed Tory legislation to ensure they are paid for all hours worked.”
His comments come as the union representing Air Canada flight attendants ended its strike, which had continued despite a federal back-to-work order, after reaching an agreement with the airline.”
“We support law and order, so everyone should follow the law,“ Poilievre said during an Aug. 20 press conference in B.C. ”But it’s simultaneously possible to say that everyone should follow the law and the rules, while saying that it’s very unfair that the Liberals have voted against a Conservative bill requiring that flight attendants get paid for every minute they work,”
A strike by around 10,000 Air Canada workers came to an end on Aug. 19 after the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the airline attendants, reached a settlement with the airline. Air Canada said it expected to restore partial service on Tuesday night, but said it would take up to 10 days for operations to resume as normal.
The agreement came after a strike that saw the union defy two back-to-work orders and reject the federal government’s attempt to force a deal through binding arbitration.
The union had demanded the airline pay attendants for the work they do before planes take off and after they land, such as carrying out safety checks and boarding passengers, and higher overall pay.
Poilievre told reporters that he had sympathy for airline workers who are “up on their feet, serving the passengers” when flights are delayed, but are not getting paid. “It’s crazy. You should be paid for the work that you do,” he said.
The Conservatives introduced a private members bill in 2024 that would have ensured flight attendants are paid for their pre- and post-flight duties, but the bill didn’t make it through Parliament. Poilievre also said that had the Liberals voted in favour of the bill, “we might have been able to avoid this strike.”
Poilievre also said that Canada saw the largest number of strikes “in a generation” in 2024 because of higher inflation, which had reduced the spending power of employees. He said the federal government’s over-spending led to workers having to “fight for wage hikes in order to catch up with the cost of living,” and called for a reduction in government spending in order to rein in inflation.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Aug. 19 that he is “relieved” that the two sides have reached an agreement, adding that flight attendants should receive fair compensation.
“It is my hope that this will ensure flight attendants are compensated fairly at all times, while ending disruption for hundreds of thousands of Canadian families, workers, and visitors to Canada,” Carney said.
