Air Canada announced on Saturday morning that she put her union’s on-board agents as a lockout, in response to the start of their strike.
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The union representing more than 10,000 Air Canada on -board agents said its members started a strike on around 1 a.m. for a last minute agreement on Saturday with the airline.
Air Canada then reported that a lockout entered into force at 1:30 am on Saturday, a “step that has become necessary” due to the trigger of the strike, the company said in a statement.
The airline has announced that all Air Canada and Red Air Canada flights will be canceled.
About 130,000 customers will be affected for each day of suspension, said the company.
“Air Canada deeply regrets the repercussions of the labor conflict on its customers,” the company said in a statement on Saturday morning.
Air Canada Express flights, operated by third jazz and PAL airlines are not affected.
The Canadian Air Canada Component of the Canadian Public Service (SCFP) said that strike stakes will be deployed at Canada airports, notably in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.
PHOTO PETER MCCABE, REUTERS
On-board agents demonstrate at Montreal-Trudeau airport on August 16, 2025.
Striker board agents also provide strike stakes at Halifax, Ottawa and Winnipeg airports.
“The negotiations between Air Canada and the SCFP are deadlocked,” the union said in a press release early Saturday morning.
“We are deeply saddened for our passenger and passengers. We do not want to go on strike and we do not want to be lockout, but it is clear that Air Canada had no intention of negotiating. »»
An intervention by the federally?
Air Canada had previously asked the Minister of Employment, Patty Hajdu, to intervene by ordering the parties to use enforceable arbitration, a power conferred on the Minister by article 107 of the Canadian Labor Code.
Friday, Mme Hajdu urged Air Canada and the union to return to the negotiating table, suggesting that it was not ready to intervene in the conflict. The minister said that the union had indicated that several of his claims had been satisfied, which suggests that there is a way to an agreement.
Minister Hajdu had asked the union to respond to the request of the company. The SCFP said on Friday that it opposed arbitration, now its desire to get out of the deadlock by negotiation.
Certain pressure groups have already called for an intervention from the federal government.
In a statement published on Saturday morning, the Quebec Chambers of Commerce Federation urged the government to “intervene as quickly as possible by using enforceable arbitration to end the current work stoppage at Air Canada”.
“In a context of economic instability and tariff crisis, this additional work conflict night once again to the reputation of Quebec on a global scale,” said the CEO of the organization, Véronique Proulx.
