‘Airlines and airports are essential not just to the Canadian economy – but to the Canadian communities that rely on them’
Canadian union leaders representing more than 310,000 Canadian workers called on the Trudeau government for immediate financial aid worth $7 billion of direct financial support to protect this strategic and critical infrastructure for all Canadians.
“Canada needs to step up and support its industry like most other countries,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president. “There really is no more time to waste. We need urgent funds for the aviation sector or there won't be Canadian airlines, and that will cost us all much more.”
Specifically, support would include:
- a combination of loan guarantees, as well as direct financial aid tied to the resumption and/or maintenance of air services, commensurate to the impact on the industry and consistent with the support extended by other countries.
- funding dedicated to developing an evolving quarantine and testing plan that aligns with science and ensures safety.
Funding for the resumption and/or maintenance of air services (sometimes referred to as “air bridges”) would address current shortcomings, both domestically and internationally, by preserving routes that will continue to connect communities, countries and commerce to the benefit of all Canadians, according to the unions.
“We need to ensure a strong Canadian airline industry to drive our economy – not just today but for the long-haul,” said Robert Giguere, president of Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA). “We don't want to see Canada's pandemic recovery stifled by inaction now, forcing us to rebuild this critical sector and harming Canada's competitiveness and future growth.”
In July, the federal government announced it will provide funding totalling $1.23 million to help Yukon’s aviator sector compensate for lost revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The unions noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis in Canada's aviation industry. It has led airlines to adopt drastic survival measures to deal with a drop in demand and international and inter-provincial restrictions – and recovery may be years away. Many businesses supporting the sector have faced closure.
Also, airlines and airports have laid off or furloughed highly skilled and extensively trained workers; at Air Canada and WestJet alone, some 30,000 skilled employees have lost their jobs. It is a devastating blow for a sector that previously employed roughly 240,000 workers and contributed nearly $37 billion in Canada's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the unions.
“The aviation sector is part of Canada's national strategic infrastructure. Airlines and airports are essential not just to the Canadian economy – but to the Canadian communities that rely on them,” said Tim Perry, Canadian President of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).
Though the government hinted at support in its recent Throne Speech, Canada stands alone among leading developed countries – including Germany, Singapore, France, the United Kingdom and the U.S. – in announcing no concrete direct measures for the travel and tourism sector, according to the unions.
Council
The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC), representing Canada's largest carriers, like Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation LP and WestJet, welcomed the unions’ statement.
“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on our industry, our employees and the communities we serve. Tens of thousands of employees have been impacted, flight capacity in the market has been reduced by approximately 85 per cent and billions of dollars in aircraft are parked. Countries around the world have brought forth sectoral support for their aviation sectors, precisely because of the critical role aviation must play in the economic recovery,” said Mike McNaney, President and CEO of the NACC. “We support today's call by Canada's major aviation unions, for the federal government to move forward quickly with support measures to protect Canadian jobs and investment.”
NACC also called for immediate financial aid from the Canadian government dating back to April as the aviation industry continues to face unprecedented challenges amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
