TORONTO — The Canadian Union of Public Employees says a strike by 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada will continue, defying an order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board that it provide public notice by noon ET that it had ended the strike.
The board had declared the strike unlawful after the federal government on Saturday used Section 107 of the Labour Code to force the two sides into binding arbitration.
CUPE national president Mark Hancock says that while the union is very sympathetic to the Canadians caught up in the strike, union members “will not be returning to the skies this afternoon.”
Speaking at a press conference at Toronto Pearson International Airport, he says the union is standing up not just for flight attendant members, but for the right of collective bargaining in Canada.
Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier Monday urged both sides to quickly resolve the situation causing major chaos for travellers, while federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu is expected to provide an update this afternoon.
Air Canada had intended to restart flights on Sunday, but were prevented by the union’s decision to continue its strike despite the CIRB order. The airline estimated Monday that some 500,000 customers’ flights have been cancelled since the strike began.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025.
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Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press
