Federal government must stay out of bargaining between Air Canada and pilots

[Link] For the second time in as many months the CIRB is being asked to intervene in bargaining when workers in a major Canadian industry are on the verge of a strike. Air Canada pilots, much like the rail workers who had their right to strike squashed by the federal government last month, provide a vital service that helps make our economy run. These workers deserve fair compensation and working conditions for the work that they do. They also have a right to engage in a strike when their employer is unwilling to negotiate a fair contract.

Justin Trudeau's Liberals have set a dangerous precedent in this country by intervening in the collective bargaining process in major Canadian industries. They did it in 2018 to postal workers, in 2021 to workers at the Port of Montreal, last month with rail workers. In all of these cases they either legislated workers back to work or imposed binding arbitration on them.

With the trend of federal government support for big business firmly established, Air Canada is now asking for their turn to have the government intervene to squash workers' rights because they don't want to pay their pilots a fair wage. Air Canada CEO Michel Rousseau, who makes $12.4 million a year after his salary was tripled in 2022, has no reason to entertain his employees' bargaining demands. He can simply sit back and wait for the government to intervene, like they did for his friends in the railroad and shipping industries.

If big business knows that they have willing partners in the federal government then they don't have to negotiate in good faith. They won't provide fair wage increases that keep up with inflation, safe working conditions or manageable workloads, because when the workers get together to strike for better working conditions, they know that the government will step in to support big business instead of working Canadians.

Minister MacKinnon should consider the path his government is walking down. Strikes can be inconvenient, but they create a level playing field between workers and employers. When the government continues to put their hand on the scales in favour one side, they are signalling to Canadian workers that they are less important than the interests of big business and they threaten to destroy the foundations of labour peace that has existed in this country for decades. The Liberals' current path will only lead to more labour disputes, not less. We need a government that respects workers' rights and defends our right to bargain.