Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the looming Air Canada pilot strike “threatens to cripple our economy and there are no signs of progress.” If a strike happened, Smith said the impact would be immediate. “Businesses, tourism, and essential travel will take a massive hit,” tweeted Smith on Monday. “The federal government must take this issue seriously and push for a swift resolution before the impacts become irreversible.”.Air Canada said it is finalizing contingency plans to suspend most of its operations.“Air Canada believes there is still time to reach an agreement with our pilot group, provided ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association) moderates its wage demands which far exceed average Canadian wage increases,” said Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau. “However, Canadians have recently seen the chaos abrupt airline shutdowns cause for travellers, which obliges us to do everything we can to protect our customers from an increasingly likely work stoppage.”Air Canada confirmed talks between it and the ALPA continue, but they remain far apart. Unless an agreement is reached, it said it or the ALPA can issue a 72-hour strike or lockout notice effective Sunday, which would trigger its three-day winddown plan.Smith said on August 14 she met with Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to share Alberta’s concerns with a potential rail stoppage. READ MORE: Smith warns feds of economic damage from looming rail strike“A work stoppage would effectively shut down Canadian logistics networks and disrupt the movement of essential goods across North America,” she said. “In the interest of all Canadians and to avoid disastrous economic impacts, I continue to urge the federal government to do everything in their power to prevent a rail work stoppage.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the looming Air Canada pilot strike “threatens to cripple our economy and there are no signs of progress.” If a strike happened, Smith said the impact would be immediate. “Businesses, tourism, and essential travel will take a massive hit,” tweeted Smith on Monday. “The federal government must take this issue seriously and push for a swift resolution before the impacts become irreversible.”.Air Canada said it is finalizing contingency plans to suspend most of its operations.“Air Canada believes there is still time to reach an agreement with our pilot group, provided ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association) moderates its wage demands which far exceed average Canadian wage increases,” said Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau. “However, Canadians have recently seen the chaos abrupt airline shutdowns cause for travellers, which obliges us to do everything we can to protect our customers from an increasingly likely work stoppage.”Air Canada confirmed talks between it and the ALPA continue, but they remain far apart. Unless an agreement is reached, it said it or the ALPA can issue a 72-hour strike or lockout notice effective Sunday, which would trigger its three-day winddown plan.Smith said on August 14 she met with Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to share Alberta’s concerns with a potential rail stoppage. READ MORE: Smith warns feds of economic damage from looming rail strike“A work stoppage would effectively shut down Canadian logistics networks and disrupt the movement of essential goods across North America,” she said. “In the interest of all Canadians and to avoid disastrous economic impacts, I continue to urge the federal government to do everything in their power to prevent a rail work stoppage.”
